But Only For You
by WhoCaresAboutPeopleBooksExist
Summary: Rory is on a downhill slide, twisting and turning through waves of sorrow and resentment towards the world. Bitter and alone, she's accepted that her life will always be bad. That is until Logan Huntzberger shows up at her work one day, a pile of books in his grasp. Will he be able to pull her back up seven years after she refused his proposal?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Yes, it's a Gilmore Girls One-Shot. More importantly, it's a Rogan One-Shot. You know, unlike most people, I liked Rory with Dean, Logan, and Jesse. I just preferred Logan to all the others. They were sweet and all that sappy stuff. This is kind of long, but I had to fill in a reunion in just one chapter. Well, I didn't have to, but I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could actually do it. And I think it turned out okay. This was fun to write and I hope you all enjoy it well enough. As per usual, the music-like stuff will be in the second author's note if you want to find more about the song I used.

Please, please enjoy. If you feel up to it, do all of that stuff writers usually ask. Favourite or follow or something. Review?

Anyway, on with the show.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls. I also, sadly, do not own the song "The Calendar" by Panic! at the Disco. Although I do own the CD which it came from. Good money spent, if I don't say so myself. **

* * *

**But Only For You**

"Next," Rory's eyes ached and her head burned with the beginnings of a massive migraine, but she smiled as an elderly woman approached her, a thick book in hand. "Hi, madam. Will that be all?" She asked, carefully handling the heavy object.

"Yes, um, do you think my granddaughter will like this book?" Rory's eyes gleamed as she scanned the book, thinking carefully of what to say.

"Hmm," she sighs, remembering when she got _The Places You Buried My Soul_. But she quickly shakes that memory away as images of That Handsome Boy Who Must Not Be Named crept into her mind, increasing her migraine's strength. Her eyes flew to the woman's in reply. "Yes. She will. It's a wonderful and extremely poignant novel. All the wonders of life excellently explored in a mere 862 pages." The lady's face lit up as she handed Rory her credit card.

"Good, good. She's been asking for it, but I wanted to makes sure I wasn't wasting money," Rory laughed at the woman's worries, taking the plastic piece of security.

"All right, your total is $7.23 and if you could just-" Rory felt her mouth slack and her heart betray her horribly as it sped up. A figure was waiting, clothed in a fine suit and hair combed to the newest businessman style. His hazel eyes blazed as he looked at the ceiling searching for something.

"Are you all right, miss?" The old woman's voice pulled Rory away from the face of a forgotten wound and she noticed she was tightly clutching the customer's card.

"Right, yes. I am fine. Here's your card and your receipt. Just sign here," she handed the lady a pen, willing herself to calm down. "Thank you. Please enjoy," with a smile, the woman was off and Rory had no choice but to call out to the man who found the ceiling so fascinating. Maybe she could ask Johnny to take over. She twisted her head around to look for him, but it was too late. He was staring at her now, his face falling for a moment before he remembered who he was and his bright, flashy smile overtook his face. He took slow, deliberate steps towards her, a pile of books in his hands.

Silently, the books were placed in front of her and Rory set forth, scanning them quickly.

"Recognize any of them?" His smooth voice washed over Rory like waves of glory and she had to close her eyes as her body shivered and the familiar sensations he caused took over.

"Um," she stuttered, forcing herself to properly study the titles. She frowned. "Yes, actually. All of them." Rory didn't say the next thing on her mind, _they're all books I showed you._ Her work mind took over in attempt to ignore the ever handsome (though she refused to ever admit it to his face) boy. After scanning the dozen books, she chanced a look at him and hated herself for wanting to swoon under his gaze.

"What's with the mini library?" She asked, gesturing to the twelve books scattered before them both. He smiled and her heart skipped as it awaited his bound-to-be snarky reply.

"Well, would you believe that yours truly is the new English teacher at the famous Chilton Preparatory School," Rory's mouth fell open in a probably very unflattering way. "Yep. Rich kid defies parents wishes and becomes a lowly private school teacher. I can see the headlines now."

"W-wow," Rory gasped out, lowering her head a bit to stare at the books again.

"Yeah, I actually spent the last few years getting a sexy Masters in education. Cool, huh?" He was enthusiastically holding his arms out in question and she nodded her head slowly, feeling her head wanting to explode.

"Very cool. Why Chilton?" The last part slipped past her lips harsher than she expected and she shook her head. "Sorry. I mean, why Chilton when you could be a teacher anywhere?" She wanted to ask why he was torturing her by being here, acting like the last time they saw each other seven years ago was a charming experience.

She could sense his smirk as he began his reply, "Well, it's a good school. Good location. Good pay. Not a lot of students. What's not to like?" He laughed loudly. "Oh, and the headmaster is pretty hot." There we go. That's Logan Huntzberger.

"Headmaster Charleston? He's a bit old for you, don't you think?" Rory could see a line beginning to form just for her and she remembered where she was, quickly getting a large bag to place all of the books in.

"A bit too dead, actually. There's a new headmaster. Headmaster Islington. No relation to the London town. Very, very attractive," Logan's comment sunk in and she felt her blood boil. She had no right to be angry at him for finding another woman attractive. They broke up nearly ten years ago. And yet, she felt the need to slap him. She restrained herself, though, knowing now was not the time or the place.

"Oh," was all she said as she tallied up his total. "$123.76," she calmly spat out. He handed her a shiny black card and she swiped it fast. The receipt came out slowly, filling the small bookstore with the relaxing sound of the printer. Rory ripped it off quick, watching as he took out a pen from his pocket and signed his name. She handed him his copy and the card, giving a curt smile as he took ahold of the large plastic bag with all of his books.

"We should get together some time. Seeing as we're both in Hartford now. I need a friend," with one last smile and a wink, Logan left the store. Rory took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and called out to the next person in the increasingly long line.

_What just happened?_

* * *

"Rory, your shift ended forty five minutes ago. What are you still doing here?" Johnny came up behind her as she was shelving a new shipment of books. She jumped at the sound of his voice, glaring at him.

"Lost track of time, I guess," Rory yawned and stood up, placing the box of books in Johnny's hands. Truthfully, she didn't want to leave because here she could forget that she ever saw Logan Huntzberger. Forget that he touched her hand lightly when she handed back his credit card and that she actually enjoyed the warmth of his hand. Forget the angst ridden feeling it sent through her veins.

"Well, you're off. And you have no work this weekend. Rest or something," Johnny smiled sympathetically at her and she nodded her head, slowly making her way to the small employee break room. Christine was passed out on the sofa so Rory had to be quiet in gathering her things.

She passed Johnny once more on her way out, saluting him with a smile on her face. Rory enjoyed her job at the small, unknown, and extremely rundown bookstore. With five employees, it ran well and people actually came in to get books at a cheap-ish price. It'd suited her well for the past three years, taking her time and allowing her to momentarily shut out the thoughts of her dead grandparents and absent mother.

Rory hopped on her bike and peddled swiftly home, feeling the late summer slip through her fingers in the wind. When her apartment building came into view, everything became heavy again.

She did see Logan Huntzberger at work today. He held in his hands twelve books she informed him about numerous times throughout their history together. He smiled and winked and talked the same. Sure, a few lines here and there marked his face, but she had dark circles under her eyes permanently, so she couldn't say much about his aging.

All Rory wanted to do was call her mother and talk to her about this, but the time difference was too much. She was more than likely asleep.

Fumbling with her keys, Rory opened the door to the building, pushing her bike through the threshold. The elevator had stopped working the year she moved in, but it didn't stop her from cursing it when she walked by and hiked her bike up in order to move up the steep staircase.

By the time she got to her floor her arms ached, her migraine exploded, and her eyes wanted to fall out of her face. Her apartment was small and didn't even have a bedroom, but it was enough. The walls bled an eerie grey and there was only one window which had the fantastic view of the alleyway. She was positive at least three people had been murdered there since she moved in a few years back.

Rory made her way to her phone, seeing three messages glowing. Her index finger pressed down on the "Play" button and she listened patiently while simultaneously gathering supplies for a quick dinner.

_You have three new messages._

_First message: Friday August 27th at 3:23 p.m._

Beep_._

_Rory, hey, it's Luke. Just calling to let you know we'll be out of phone reach for the weekend. Your mom and I are heading on a tour through the Alps. Have a great weekend. Don't work too hard, kid!_

Beep.

Rory's heart broke a little at the sound of Luke's voice and she willed herself not to cry as she started up the stove.

_Second message: Friday August 27th at 6:47 p.m._

Beep.

_Ms. Gilmore, this is Frank Nobleman calling to inform you that we need to meet regarding your grandparents estate. Um, I can't tell you much over the phone, but please call me back at _860-346-0971._ Have a splendid day._

Beep.

She couldn't help the tear that slid down her face and sizzled in the heated pan. Rory sniffled and wiped her cheek frustratedly, adding her chopped chicken to the stir fry she was preparing.

_Third and final message: Friday August 27th at 7:11 p.m._

Beep.

_Rory._

She dropped the wooden spoon in her hand, not hearing it clatter to the wooden floor beneath her feet.

_It's Logan. Don't ask how I got your number, it's not an interesting story. Well, it kind of is. But anyway-_his voice broke off and he let out a breathless, nervous laugh-_um, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to get coffee tomorrow morning. I've got a meeting with the Headmaster at twelve, so maybe we could meet at that little coffee shop near your work at 10:30? If not, don't worry about it. I'll be there regardless. It looks like a nice coffee shop. Anyway, hope to see you there._

Beep.

_End of messages._

A faint scent of burning meat filled Rory's nostrils and she looked at her pan, hot smoke choking her eyes. She could feel them watering as she haphazardly turned the stove off, sliding to the ground and finally letting out the stress of the day in a loud wail. She wasn't hungry anymore. All she felt was a painful wave of sleepiness.

In a daze, she stood up and scraped the contents of her fancy pan in the trash. Placing it in the sink, she slunk off to her twin sized bed pushed against the farthest corner of the apartment.

Her eyes dripped with tears and she felt the warm liquid pass over her cheeks, ears, and nose, wetting the fabric of her bedspread. She sucked in breath after breath as if it were a chore to breathe. The moonlight filtering through her window glowed on her face and she vaguely was aware that she hadn't turned off any of the lights nor had she gotten ready for bed.

She didn't care, though. Everything was wrong.

* * *

Rory didn't know what time she finally fell asleep. It wasn't before wasting a half box of tissues and forcing herself to get up and get ready. All she knew was that when she woke up at 9:17 a.m., she somehow sensed a change in the air.

Was it summer leaving her that caused the shift?

No.

She knew what it was, but she denied it with every chilled step she took to reach the bathroom.

She got ready in a rush, not feeling the scalding water hit her body and fall in puddles to the floor. She listened to the radio as she scrubbed herself down. She stopped suddenly when she found herself dancing along to the track, not even knowing what it was called. Her heart felt lighter and her mind was clearer this morning.

Music sounded good and the water that soaked her skin warmed her with floods of energy. She hummed along to the song, trying to remember certain words so she could look it up later.

_Put another X on the calendar, summer's on its deathbed. _

"Can't be many songs out there with that line," she said out loud to no one in particular, repeating it over and over in her head, enjoying the singers smooth voice.

After slathering her hair with shampoo and conditioner, and after cutting herself only once with her razor, Rory stepped out of the shower.

Her blue eyes shone in the misty light of the bathroom and she smiled to herself. She was going to see Logan Huntzberger today. Mind made up, she would walk into the Cafe looking stunning and not tired and not depressed. He would be blown away by her confidence and beauty and immediately beg her back. She'd play hard to get, though. _You need to get to know me again._ She'd say, smiling playfully. And he'd agree. And they'd date again. Move in together eventually, get engaged, get married. Have kids, be happy.

"Stop it, Rory," she giggled to herself, ignoring the painful stabbing sensation in her heart. It won't happen. It can't.

After putting on the minimal amount of makeup she owned, she blew her hair dry and admired how it calmly fell to her shoulders. Usually it refused to stay down.

And then she remembered. Logan hadn't left a number. Rory would have to walk into the coffee shop blindly and sit with Logan and _talk_ to him. _Listen_ to him as he prattled on about how wonderful his life was. About his girlfriend or maybe even wife. No, he wasn't wearing a ring. Fiancee, then. And she'd have to lie and say her life was great and fantastic when really it was horrible and slow and just plain shitty.

She looked at the clock. _10:15._ She had fifteen minutes to make it to the shop. It was only a five minute bike ride. Maybe she should skip it and pray to God that she never ever runes into Logan again. But she knew that he must live nearby and that he apparently liked independently owned bookstores. They'd run into each other again. Might as well make sure it wasn't awkward.

Rory grabbed her backpack and her bike, readying herself for what was about to happen.

The outside air felt nice and fresh against her skin and she blinked against the blinding sun, wishing she had sunglasses to spare. Hopping on her bike, she peddled slowly, wanting to take her time with this ride.

She could sense it. The change. It was following her in the breeze of late August, haunting her like a ghost. The sun was brighter than usual, the sky bluer. Bees were buzzing happily and the birds were chirping sweetly. Every light was green on the ride and the bike rack outside of the coffee shop had been mended.

_Crap._ Rory thought as she got off, chaining her bike up. She was here now, no turning back. Her head swiveled around in search for Logan's car, but she realised that he probably had gotten a new one since they broke up seven years ago.

"Ace, you made it!" A loud voice boomed behind her and she nearly tripped over her bike as she turned around, searching for the source. She wanted to faint at the sound of her old nickname, accepting that no one could ever make a singular syllable sound so alluring.

"I did. Yeah. You didn't leave a number, so I wasn't sure what to do. But I came. Yeah. I came…" Her voice died on her and she looked at the ground, suddenly captivated by the weeds growing between the cracks in the sidewalk, a light blush slowly marring her cheeks.

"Right, right, sorry about that. I guess I was so excited to be calling you that I forgot," Logan placed a hand on her shoulder and Rory snapped her head up making full eye contact. She searched for a trace of sarcasm, but found none. This only made her heart swell up bigger.

"It-it's okay. Should we go in? The coffee here is great," Rory ducked away from Logan's stare and his touch, noticing a burning radiating from where he grazed her skin.

"Yeah. And Rory," he said, grabbing her arm and twisting her around. "You look nice," she was definitely blushing now. All she had put on were blue jeans and the first top she grabbed. Which wasn't much, just a somewhat low-cut light blue t-shirt with a picture of Ziggy Stardust on the front. A gift from Luke.

Logan let go of her and smiled, following her into the small Cafe.

They both ordered black coffee and laughed in remembrance of their late night study sessions together when their veins were filled with more coffee than blood. He refused to let her pay and she quietly accepted his offer of chivalry, finding a table while he waited for the drinks.

The sun soaked Rory's skin as she sat down in front of the window awaiting her white knight. Her stomach grumbled and she remembered she hadn't eaten since 11:00 a.m. yesterday. A gnawing at her insides made her get up and stand next to Logan.

"Think I can add a bit of food to the order of black death?" She squeaked, trying to sound nonchalant. Logan looked at her and smiled, nodding his head.

"Um, can the lady have a slice of coffee cake?" The barrister grumbled something under his breath and Logan grinned in Rory's direction.

"You remembered," she said, noticing the baffled tint to her voice.

Logan laughed. "Yes, Rory, I remember your favourite coffee-time snack is coffee flavoured cake. Not difficult to memorise," he winked at her, handing her the coffee and nodding towards the table she had picked out, silently telling her to wait for him.

Is it possible that after all of these years, they still have their no-words-language?

She pushed the thought away when he followed her to the table, sitting across from her and placing her coffee cake in front of her. Rory grabbed the fork and began shoveling the bittersweet pastry into her mouth.

"Some things never change, I see," sighed Logan, resting his chin in his hands, elbows plastered on the table. Rory noticed the dreamy look in his eye, but continued eating, pausing only to drink some of her coffee. She occasionally flicked her eyes to his, trying to decipher why he invited her, but he just took careful sips of his drink.

She's done soon and she sat back in her chair, pressing her hands to the table. Logan looked at her and smirks, finally nodding his head and opening his mouth to speak. "Logan, why'd you ask me here if you were just going to stare at me why I drank and ate? Well, Rory Gilmore," Oh the way he said her name made her quiver, "I wanted to catch up. It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has," she said slowly. "Why now?" He sighed exhaustedly.

"Because now seemed like the perfect time. No time like the present, right? That's rhetorical, don't answer," he held a hand up in front of her face and delicately placed a warm finger on her lips. She felt that she should jump up and smack him across the cheek for touching her in such an intimate place, but she's frozen. Her lips pulsated with something…something familiar and something she'd been missing for such a long time. "I was fed up with my dad. I told him three years ago to go shove it and he kicked me aside. Which was fine with me because I didn't want to work in business anyway. So, with my grandparents help, I got into a graduate program to get my Masters. It didn't take too long to figure out what I wanted it in. I thought, 'I should be helping kids learn, give them an adult who'll actually give a shit about them.' So I got my Masters and started interviewing. Islington heard I was looking for a job, called me up, asked me to interview, and then gave me the position as Tenth Grade English teacher for the advanced class. Which sounds like a weird title for a private Prep school, but whatever." He paused for a moment, removing his finger from Rory's mouth, but he continued to talk.

"I knew you were living here. My grandparents told me. I would be lying if I said you weren't a deciding factor in my choice to accept the job. I mean, you are the one who got me interested in English. Never cared much for it before you came along, Ace. So, here I am. Hoping that maybe you and I can at least be friends. I mean, it's been seven years since you refused my proposal, and after all this time, I've been able to decipher why you said no. What do you say?" He asked, holding his hand out to the stricken girl in front of him. "Friends?" Rory blinked in confusion, but took the hand anyway. The touch sends more shivers through her and she wondered if they could ever just be friends. They had so much history.

"Friends." She said, a genuine smile gracing her lips. He grinned back at her, chugging the rest of his coffee and standing up.

"Let's get out of here," he said, glancing at his watch. Again, he held out his hand, daring her to take it. She replied by grabbing it, allowing herself to be pulled up. Butterflies swarmed in stomach, brushing her nerves with their delicate wings which beat a thousand times a second.

He took her to his car and she looked longingly at her bike but he told her she "needn't not worry" about it and that he can take it back after his meeting. She questioned him about that, but he said he's got time and that they should go to his place for a little bit more of a chat. She agreed, sliding into the not-so-fancy car he now owned.

The car journey was full of tension and silence. The radio buzzed between them, each song that played seemingly matching their feelings. Rory recognized this familiar atmosphere that came with being so close to Logan Huntzberger and realised that she missed it.

He took one last turn and she saw a row of townhouses.

"Logan Huntzberger lives in a townhouse?" Rory's amused voice made him laugh. The houses were squished together, an identical tree in front of each one. Designs alternated every two houses between red brick and stone.

"I may be rich, but I learned that saving money is much more fun than spending it."

"You should see my apartment, then," Rory sighed out.

"Is it small?" He asked, turning his head to look at her for a brief moment.

"Small does not cover it. It's something, though."

"I would've thought money wouldn't be an issue anymore," Rory felt her heart sink to her stomach and willed herself not to throw up in Logan's car.

"Yeah," she choked out. "It's not really, but I like saving it." She knew it was a lie, but he didn't need to know that.

He carried on being silent until he pulled in to a parking spot and aided Rory in opening her door. The world had fuzzed over since he spoke last and he grabs her arm, helping her up and to his house.

When they got in, Logan took his coat off and pulled Rory's off of her as well, hanging them both up. He led her up a flight of stairs to his lounge, sitting her down. He took the couch cushion next to her and grabbed her hands. She didn't move.

"Ace, what's wrong?" He asked, wiping a tear she hadn't realised had fallen. It symbolized everything wrong in her life, that tear. It was so dispensable and had collapsed without her really seeing it.

"Where to begin, Logan?" Her voice quivered and she coughed, mumbling an apology. "I don't mean to sound like an ungrateful person, but God, what happened? One day everything was fine. I had a job, a boyfriend, parents, grandparents. Then suddenly, everything was gone. Dissolved into thin air." Logan's grip on her hands tightened and he somehow managed to interlace their fingers. He looked at her and waited for her to continue. "My boyfriend broke up with me the day I lost my job at the paper. He'd been cheating on me with some guy named Larry for the past four months," Logan couldn't help the giggle that escaped his mouth, but turned stone faced when Rory glared at him. "And then grandma and grandpa got sick. I moved back here to help them. Got a job at Bookstores Still Exist. They were doing better and then they weren't." She stopped, sucking in a breath. Logan released her hands and moved her head to his shoulder.

"I thought they were going to be okay. One morning I woke up and checked on them, but they…they were…oh, God, I can't say it," Rory swallowed and felt Logan's lips on her forehead. "Afterwards, after the funeral and everything, mom said she couldn't be here anymore. She and Luke packed up. Didn't even ask me to go with them, they just left. She abandoned me. And now I'm stuck at this job. I've interviewed places, but no one seems to want me. I'm in a rut. It's been a long time since I haven't been in one." She stopped talking and let her sorrow overwhelm her for a moment longer. She wasn't expecting to speak so much, but she hadn't had a friend in so many years that she could talk to face to face like this. Lane was gone, Paris was gone. Everyone was gone.

"And then you walked into the store yesterday," she continued, feeling braver than before. "Seeing you, hearing your voice, made me realise how much I'd missed you all these long years. You're grown up now. A mature adult. A teacher, for crying out loud," she laughed as snot began running down her nose. Logan reached for a tissue and hands it to her. She cleaned her face up and lifted her head.

"Do you believe in destiny?" He asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"Not really," she said slowly, dragging out each syllable. He must have seen the confused look on her face because he explains.

"Neither do I. I knew you worked at that store. God, Ace, I chose those books because of you. I have missed you every single day since you broke my heart. When I got the opportunity to see you again, of course I took it. It's mock destiny."

"Oh, well then. I'm flattered," was all Rory could choke out. Logan laughed, throwing his head back.

"This begs the question, why are you suffering so much? You were always so happy, Ace. So full of hope and life," he positioned his head towards her own. She didn't move. She held his gaze, daring him to make a move.

"Being alone kind of forces you to lose all of that stuff. When you have no one to live for, it's much harder to live for yourself," she's surprised, for a moment, at how easy it seems to talk to Logan even after seven years apart. He had never contacted her before the other day and she honestly thought he had forgotten her. But she realised that they were always like this. It was always easy for her to trust him because he had always been there. Hell, he comforted her, while infatuated with her, when Dean broke up with her. Of course it's easy to fall back in.

"Oh, Ace. You poor, pathetic thing," Logan teased, nudging his nose against hers. The movement stopped her breath on its way out her mouth. "You can't live like this, like you're not alive at all. There's a whole world out there for you. You've traveled it, explored it, loved it. Let it love you in return. I can talk to some of my contacts about getting you a job nearby."

She pushed away from him. He looked hurt, but the expression left his face soon enough that she thought she'd imagined it. "Would you do that?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"Well, well, if I'd suggested this a few years back, you'd've had my head on a silver platter." He smiled at her and she slapped his arm playfully.

"I'm kind of desperate, Logan," she bitterly retired and he grabbed her hand again.

"Right, right. I'll do it. For you. But why do you live in such a small apartment. You're kind of rich now." Rory would've scolded him further, but it was a good question. Why hadn't she dipped into the funds her grandparents had given her at their passing? Lorelai was off in Europe wasting hers away and she couldn't even get a better place to live in.

"I feel like if I spend it, I'm admitting their gone," she says truthfully, a sad air spreading over them once again. "I was supposed to pay them back for school, but they died before I could and now I have all of this money and I don't want it. Well, I want it, but I don't want to want it. It's confusing, sorry." She huffed and bowed her head. With delicate fingers, Logan lifted her chin.

"The money isn't them, Rory. They gave it to you because they love you and want you to have a better life. It's been a while, Ace. You need to start making yourself happy. They're probably looking down on you now, although I'm not sure about your grandmother, and wondering why on earth their beautiful, smart, successful granddaughter is refusing to allow a wisp of sunshine in her life. Don't torture yourself by staying unhappy. It's not fair on anyone."

She knew he was right. Of course he was.

On a whim, she replies, "I'll go apartment hunting tomorrow." Logan smiles at her and chuckles.

"That's my girl. Well, no, that sounded weird. That's my…friend. Are we friends?" His eyes were concerned and the corners of his mouth had moved down slightly.

"I-I don't know. We've never been good at being friends," Rory admitted, thinking back to their life together, how happy they both were. But she was torn at the moment, and he was not.

"You know, I don't believe in fate, Rory, but I sure as hell believe in us." His words, so full of lust and sincerity, were the final pieces to her long lost puzzle which she thought would always be broken. Her shift was complete. It would get better after this, she could tell. Already, her anger and resentment towards her mother, her grandparents, the _world,_ was burning down. A smile placed itself on her face and she felt that no matter how hard she tried, it would not go away.

"What do you mean?" She asked, frightened for a moment she was reading too much into this.

"I mean that after seven years apart from you, after finally finding you again, I don't want you to leave here without knowing that I don't see myself falling for anyone the same way I fell for you. I know that I should wait and get to know you again, but you're the same Rory Gilmore I met when I was a jerk in my early twenties. You've had your open world, Ace, please let me be a part of it again." She looked at him with her mouth slightly agape and her eyes filling with the sweetest tears. She slid her hands through his hair, watching goosebumps rise up on his skin.

"Yes." It is all she said and all she needed to say. She heard Logan as he breathed in once before giving in and pressing his lips to hers. It was gentle at first, like they were trying to memorise each other. He sucked on her bottom lip in the place where she always bit after a kiss and she moaned quietly. This spurred him on and he forced her lips open with his tongue, exploring the cottony insides of her mouth. She tugged on his hair, pulling him on top of her, and he could feel himself getting excited. Rory Gilmore wasn't one for sex in these situations, though, so he forced himself not to rub against her leg.

Everything was coming together, culminating in a powerful explosion of fervor and energy generating from their mouths and hands. Their fingers grazed up each others shirts, feeling the warm skin beneath and groaning into their kiss. Rory rotated her hips against Logan's in search of some friction for her throbbing center, letting out a contented sigh, and he bit down on her lip to suppress a loud whimper.

Logan was about to throw caution to the wind and ask if Rory wanted to do something more when he felt his pocket vibrate against his leg which happened to be right where his erection was. With a shudder and jolt, a warm liquid shot down his leg and he groaned into Rory's mouth.

He sat up quickly, looking around in confusion and slight embarrassment.

"Sorry, that never happens." He said, moving around uncomfortably. The vibration was still occurring and he pulled out the source, eyeing Rory and smiling at the heated blush on her cheeks. "Hello?" He answered. "Yes, right, totally forgot. I'll be there soon." He put the phone away and leaned in to touch Rory's lips once more.

"Wow." They said simultaneously. Rory giggled and Logan smiled. The latter stood up and mumbled something about having to get changed for the meeting.

"You're a good distraction, Ace," he called from a room she guessed was his bedroom. She didn't say anything, though, just marveled at the feeling of Logan Huntzberger once again on top of her. If he hadn't stopped them, she would have done something reckless and asked him if maybe he wanted to go all the way. The thought surprised her, but she definitely meant it in the heat of the moment. If he didn't have a meeting, she'd probably ask him right now. But he did. And they could wait for that. They waited seven years for this.

"I'm sad that I have to say this, but it's time for me to leave," Logan placed a hand on Rory's head, filling his fingers with her hair. She smiled sweetly at him.

"I can walk to the coffee shop from here, no worries," Logan laughed and kissed her forehead. She didn't want him to go.

"You're going to stay here. Take a shower, finish yourself off. Follow me to the land of complete bliss." He winked at her and headed for the door, but not before Rory threw a book at him. "Ouch, Ace. It was a suggestion. Unless you want to wait for me to come home and then I can finish you off myself." He whispered the last bit as he closed his front door behind him.

Rory should've been mad that he had decided she would stay here. That they would definitely be talking when he got back. But she could always go by herself and she found that she didn't want to leave this place quite yet.

Maybe she would take Logan's advice and take a shower. Pleasure herself in ways she hadn't dreamt of since her grandparents passed away.

Because right now, for the first time in a long time, Rory Gilmore was happy. And it was all because of _him._ She hoped he knew it was always him. Even when she refused him, it wasn't because she didn't love him or want to marry him. She wasn't ready yet.

She was prepared for it now, though. Well, maybe not right away, but eventually. If they kept this whole thing up. The making out on his sofa thing. She liked that thing. She missed that thing.

Rory placed her head in her hands, willing herself to wake up from this beautiful dream, but begging for it to go on forever. It was real, though. All of it was real. Logan Huntzberger had kissed her again and had made everything better.

Tomorrow, she would call the estate agent, write a letter to her mother, go out apartment hunting and maybe bring Logan along. No, too soon. But she could send him pictures and ask what he liked best. Tomorrow, she would wake up early and go for a run, look up that amazing song she heard in the shower this morning and listen to it over and over again until she grew to hate it.

Summer was on its deathbed, but Rory had a feeling it wasn't so bad knowing how this story would end.

* * *

**A/N 2:** Yeah, kinda cliché ending. But they deserve it, I think. So, if you did not gather from my first Author's note, the song used in this chapter was "The Calendar" by the ever-amazing Panic! at the Disco. The song is magnificent and if you listen to the lyrics you'll understand why it was used. The title is derived from the chorus as is the tidbit Rory memorised in the shower "Put another X on the calendar, summer's on its deathbed/There is simply nothing worse than knowing how it ends/And I meant everything I said that night/I will come back to life/but only for you." Listen to it, love it, buy it. Whatever. You kind of need to hear it to fully understand the meaning of this One-Shot. Thanks for reading! I'll be back soon with new things and the continuing of Adam and Eve. Right now, though, it's late and I have an early class tomorrow. Yay.

Your's truly,

(insert name here)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** So, I guess I did leave our sexy lovebirds a little early in my other one-shot. Ta da, it's a sequel! I know my username is WhoCaresAboutPeopleBooksExist, but I do watch a bunch of television. I like to tell people I don't, but that's just because I rarely sit down in front of the t.v. for hours on end mindlessly watching shows. I never record anything. I hate watching live t.v. I like Netflix and DVDs. Television is another way for me to escape from my mundane life. With that being said, there are only a few shows that I actually have fallen in love with. Gilmore Girls, for its wit and adorable characters, is one of them. And I absolutely hated how they left Rory and Logan. He was my favourite. But Jess, I mean, God, Jess was wonderful, too. Rogan all the way, though! The ending to this One-Shot may seem a bit forced. Remember, I fit this all in just under 7,000 words. It might not be perfect. Oh, and it gets a little sexier. Just a warning. Still T rated, but keep your eyes closed if you're a bit shaky.

Thank you to those of you who took their time to read But Only For You and then favourited, followed, and and reviewed. It was so sweet to get all those emails. I hope you all enjoy this one just as much. I really love writing about these two. They're so cute. If you feel so inclined, do all the reviewing and favouriting and stuff. But only if you want to. And if you want more, tell me! I have another idea for the continuing of this story, but I don't want to put effort into something people aren't going to want to read. Thanks again, but most of all, please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Well, there is a hell of a lot of music references in this thing. First of all, David Bowie owns all rights to his song _Ziggy Stardust_. Second, Panic! at the Disco own their songs _The Calendar _and _Far Too Young To Die_. **

* * *

**Well, I'm Still Alive**

_Ziggy played guitar, _

_Jamming good with Weird and Gilly_

_And the spiders from mars_

_He played it left hand,_

_But made it too far, became the special man_

_Then we were Ziggy's band._

The music, loud and melodic, filtered through her alarm clock speakers. Moonlight spilt in through the cracked blinds and she batted away the intangible rays. Something moved next to her, groaning.

"Turn that damn thing off before I smash it to bits," Logan's gruff morning voice mingled with David Bowie's smash hit in such a way that she almost decided not to turn that damn thing off to see if he would speak again.

She wasn't cruel, though. Well, not too cruel. And it was five in the morning. She may need to be awake, but Logan could sleep in until six. Painfully, she reached her arm out and pressed the off button before hurling her side of the duvet off.

Pressing her feet to the cool wooden floor of November, she sluggishly gathered her clothes for the day. She took a moment to watch the sleeping boy, because in his sleep he embodied the image of a young and innocent child, glowing in the moonlight. His face, usually worn with long hours and annoying, pretentious teenagers, held a pure, lazy smile.

"Stop staring. It's weird."

She laughed at his blunt statement. "You could always join me," she watched as his eyes opened quizzically. "Well," she continued, "only if you want to."

Winking, the rosy-cheeked-girl wandered into the bathroom. It was cold so she was wrapped in many layers. Sweat had formed on her skin in the night, probably due to being pressed against another body for most hours.

She plugged her iPod dock into the socket and selected an album to explore. Pressing play, she took a few steps to the shower and started up the spurting stream of hot water and got undressed. Her pajamas peeled off of her body and she enjoyed the openness of this early morning ritual.

Bit by bit, the Connecticut air blew over her skin and she noticed goosebumps rising slowly. Steam billowed out behind the shower curtain and she listened to the steady flow of Brendon Urie's voice mix together with the splattering of water as she stepped beneath the jet stream.

_I never so adored you_

_I'm twisting allegories now_

_I want to complicate you_

_Don't let me do this to myse-_

"Hey, did you turn off the music?" Rory pushed her head out of the shower to see Logan standing before her. His arms were crossed and he was frowning. "I like that song, buddy. Turn it back on," she pleaded, pointing a long finger at him. The water sloshed in the tub and Logan's head moved down to where Rory's naked body would be if it weren't for the curtain.

"Stop staring. It's weird," Rory stuck her tongue out playfully and watched a fire start up behind Logan's eyes.

The sound of the water lapping at the tub drowned out with the blood rushing in Rory's ears. Very quickly Logan tore off all of his clothes. In the rush, Rory saw his lips curl into a devilish and childish smile, like a little boy mischievously scheming a way to snag candy from his mother.

Clad in nothing but sweat, Logan banged his hand down to restart the song and jumped behind the shower curtain. Rory gawked at him, her mouth hanging open and her big blue eyes wide.

Brendon's voice started up again and Logan pulled her to him, smirking dangerously.

"Come on, Ace," he whispered in her ear. "We ain't got all day."

Rory exited the shower in a huff. Her senses were peaked and dulled simultaneously. It was a confusing feeling, though one she supposed she should have grown used to again since Logan reentered her life.

"You're going to be late, Ace," Logan whipped past her, wrapping a towel around her shoulders and stepping out of the bathroom.

She _was _going to be late if she didn't shake her orgasmic aftershocks. Her legs felt like jelly and her back ached slightly from being rubbed against the tile, but she knew it was worth it.

Rory stepped in front of the mirror in the bathroom, staring at her red face and blotchy skin. She was spotted with bites and scratches. They all stung like an itching fire waiting to be extinguished, but Rory delighted in the sensation. She just hoped her work clothes would cover up all evidence of passionate sex.

Her mind went into zombie mode as she clothed and put on the smallest amount of makeup she could without being traumatized at the office. Journalist pigs overcrowded the news room and she methodically attempted to calm down any signs of estrogen in fear of being hit on.

Clothed in a grey pant suit and high heels, Rory Gilmore trod into her shared bedroom, watching her wonderful boyfriend, still only wearing a towel, poured over a book. His face was scrunched up in concentration, his eyes moving quickly across the words.

"You're doing it again," Logan said, his voice dripping with pleasure. He didn't look up at her, though, so Rory simply discontinued staring and went to collect her messenger bag.

She stuffed her laptop and notebook inside, praying she wasn't forgetting anything. Filled with a couple of textbooks and a large amount of books, Rory's bag was always heavy and today was no different. When she pulled it over her head, her shoulder immediately began to ache.

Pushing aside any thoughts of injury, Rory went into the kitchen to find a breakfast bar and her keys. Her heart swelled when she saw that Logan had bought her favourite kind. She didn't remember asking him for it, but she did vaguely recall him staring at her yesterday when he saw her eating an apple instead of her usual breakfast bar.

That boy knew how to tug on her heart strings.

"You leaving, Ace?" Logan's voice echoed through their home and she found herself nodding as if he could hear the movements of her head.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks for the breakfast!" She called to him. His laugh swirled in her ears and she barged back into their bedroom. He was dressed now, his book lying haphazardly on the bed.

"Have a good day, hon," he whispered as Rory approached him. She moved in to hug him and he embraced her tightly, soothingly rubbing her back.

"I love you," she said simply, looking up at him. His eyes swam with emotion and she leaned in for a kiss. He captured her lips with left over ardor from their shower. It was soft and loving and she wanted nothing more than to disregard work and stay home like this all day, but he released her too soon and she snapped her eyes open.

"Go get em, tiger," he yelled as she turned away. His hand slapped her butt and she whipped around. He stood with his hands in the air, an innocent yet entirely devilish smirk on his face.

She frowned and tried not to smile, but failed miserably.

"I love you too, Ace," were the last words she heard before leaving.

It was cold. Very cold. Wind rushed over her and she wound her jacket tightly around her body in hopes of keeping the air from contacting her precious skin. Rory loved Connecticut, she did, but the cold was something her tiny body hated.

The car Logan had insisted she buy a couple of months ago, branded with a personalised license plate she couldn't help but smile at even if the only reason was because of how ridiculous it was (ACE-0000), seeped chilled air. It was no protection from the ice of the morning at its current state. She plonked her bag down on the passenger seat and took her blue fingers to the ignition. Twisting the key, a blast of warmish heat from the vent blew up in her face.

With her hair flying out of its bun, she abandoned the parking spot and began her journey towards work. Blindly fiddling with the radio, she somehow got in touch with her pre-work playlist and started it up.

The shuffle setting brought her delight with its first pick of the day. Rory hummed along to the tune, softly singing the chorus whenever it would pop up.

"Put another X on the calendar, summer's on it's deathbed. There is simply nothing worse than knowing how it ends. And I meant everything I said that night, I will come back to life. But only for you."

String instruments cascaded through the speakers to signal the songs end as memories of the last three months gushed through her thought stream.

**Nine Weeks and Four Days Ago.**

_They said if you don't let it out, you're gonna let it eat you away._

_I'd rather be a cannibal baby, animals like me don't talk anyway._

"Ugh!" Rory groaned loudly. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Logan's head move slightly to face her.

"What's the matter, Ace?" He calmly asked. Her eyes were closed, but she could hear him shuffle towards where she was sat pouring over bedrooms and the sizes of various bathrooms in various apartments.

She huffed her hair out of her face and stared at him angrily. "I have got no idea what I want. How am I supposed to know if I want three bedrooms instead of two. Do I really care that the fridge is double-doored with a pull out freezer? Do all the bathrooms have to have a shower and a bath?"

Rory grabbed the sheets of paper strewn across her lap and flung them in the air. Logan's head turned up and watched the pieces fall around them. He reached for her hand and she felt that sweet jolt spark through her.

"It's just an apartment, Rory. Calm down," Logan said, standing up to gather the sheets of paper displaying a diverse group of apartment buildings around town. Rory watched as he studied them. His lips moved with the words and she smiled.

"It shouldn't be this difficult, but I don't know how to spend money," Logan laughed and Rory glared. "You know what I mean. I was never good at it when I had none and now I just don't know what to do. I have too much of it," she threw her hands in the air in desperation and melted into Logan's sofa.

He sat down next to her and placed the papers back on his coffee table. "Let's go for a walk, Ace," he said tiredly.

"I'm sorry, Logan. I don't mean to be ruining this day."

"Darlin', you're not. You will be, though, if you refuse to take a stroll with me," he stands up in a flash and holds out his hand. She groans but takes the hand anyway, allowing herself to be pulled up.

Logan warmly shuffled himself closer to his girlfriend. At the loving embrace, Rory felt the stress slowly wash away. Her heart started up as he withdrew and reached out to cup her face.

"You're gorgeous. Have I ever told you that?" It was rare, even when they were dating all those years ago, that Logan would be sentimental. She could probably count on her fingers all the times he said truly sweet things without having them followed by a snarky remark.

Rory wanted to say something sarcastic like, "no, I don't think you ever have," or "yes, to the point I'm worried maybe I'm not actually as attractive as you say," but she was lost in his gaze. It held her own like a scientist held its captive creature. Like he was examining her the same way he would a priceless diamond or the undiscovered beauty of a flower.

Her mouth mumbled unheard words of no real meaning and he just stood there, watching her. When his head moved closer to hers she swore he could probably hear her heart thumping against her ribcage as it threatened to break loose. Logan's mouth descended onto her own and a whirlwind of emotion tore through the touch.

They had been together for two weeks. Their worlds reattached as one for a mere fourteen days. But his kiss, the way his lips grazed hers achingly before plummeting down and taking her lips prisoner, never truly ceased in making her knees buckle and her mind fog.

Everything slowed and became hyperaware. Rory clocked the movements of his hands as they wound along her back in intricate patterns of geometry. She became heated when his tongue parted her unprepared lips and slipped through into oblivion. Her world came crashing down as his breath danced with hers.

The coming down part was the worst.

When he parted from the touch it all tumbled around her. Oxygen was being forced into her lungs and her brain started up once more. And there he was smiling at her like he knew exactly what he was doing and she wanted desperately to slap away the smug smile twirling on his lips, but he bent down again to brush her lips and she forgot everything.

"You look a little disheveled, Ace. Is something wrong?" His voice bombarded her happiness and she looked at him. His lips were a ruby red.

"I should be asking you the same thing," she replied breathlessly.

Logan laughed and grabbed at her hand, forcing her towards the front of his townhouse.

"Where are we going?" She questioned, stopping their movement.

He stared at her quizzically. "For a walk. Remember?"

She shook her head and closed her eyes. "Right, right. Sorry."

He started up their feet again and chuckled.

"It's fine, Rory. I tend to have that effect on the ladies. They forget everything when I kiss them like that."

Rory watched his face twist from pure delight to pain when she brought her foot up and stomped on his foot. He shut up then and silently guided her out of the house.

"Where to, Casanova?" Rory asked sickly sweet, batting her eyelashes.

"Just around. School was hell today, so we'd better stay away from there," Logan's face scrunched in disapproval and Rory couldn't help the laugh that escaped her throat.

He looked at her with mock anger. "I'm sorry, babe, but it's funny," Rory clutched his hand tighter as they walked out of the neighborhood and towards the town square.

"I mean, when I took the job, I had no idea most of the students would be entitled brats," Logan sighed. He looked at Rory as her smile grew. "I thought they'd all be like you. Quiet but smart as anything."

"But they're not?" Rory asked as she avoided a biker.

"Ugh, no they are not," Logan moaned, sliding his free hand down his face. "They all back talk and compose themselves like their money will get them the grade not their work."

"Huh," Rory mused. "Reminds me of someone I once knew."

Rory watched as recognition sparked across Logan's face. "Oh, right. Me," he laughed. "And look how well I turned out. Why can't they all be like you, Ace?" Rory had a feeling this question was not rhetorical.

"I never grew up with money. Lorelai was my rock and she struggled with getting a paycheck. I knew the only thing that would get me out the slight poverty I lived in would be hard work. These guys have jobs lined up for them even if they do fail high school and even university," Rory answered thoughtfully, squeezing his hand every now and again.

"I wonder if I was this annoying to my high school teachers. If so, they must have down right hated my guts." The sun sparkled on Logan's eyes as he looked at her fondly. Rory's heart jumped at the intensity of his stare.

"It'll get easier, Logan. I promise."

"I hope so, Ace. Or else I may never show up for work again," he said as he maneuvered them around a bench. The wind whipped around the couple in early autumn style and Rory huddled closer to Logan in an attempt to drown out the cooling atmosphere.

They walked in silence for a little while, admiring their proximity and each musing about how natural it all was to be in this situation. Years of being apart had yet to damage their new relationship.

Rory looked at the cracks in the sidewalk, hopping over them childishly. She was happy and it felt weird. Depression had been haunting her since Logan left and maybe she didn't realise it then or even just a couple weeks ago, but his departure from her life ruined it all. The sun was always just around the bend before, taunting her with its slivers of light.

Sometimes she would wake up and decide that today was going to be a good day, but then it never was. Although sometimes it was a good day, one where she smiled and ate food and laughed, but by nightfall it would all end, the darkness engulfing her once more.

She read a book recently, one recommended to her by her old coworker Christine, where the main character struggled with depression. The days in which the world didn't seem so bad he called his Fake Shifts. They weren't the real deal. They gave him hope only to smash that hope to pieces.

Rory's Fake Shifts didn't meet her very often, but they depressed her even more when they disappeared. And then Logan Huntzberger reentered her life. And like Craig at the end of his story, Rory's Not-Fake-Shift was complete.

The sun met her every morning even if it was hidden by clouds. It welcomed her newly found cheerfulness with warmth and delight. So as Rory looked at Logan, turning her head up slightly to watch his jaw clench and unclench depending on the wind's direction, she felt whole.

Maybe it was unhealthy. Maybe she should have made him wait and maybe she should have controlled herself a little bit more, but then she would have still been followed daily by that misery. And after having that first taste of Logan, of joy, Rory knew that waiting could go suck itself.

Besides, they hadn't slept together yet. She had a little bit of self control. Although that was slowly dwindling down, too.

_Feel like an ambulance, chaser of faith. Pray I could replace her, forget the way her tears taste. Oh, the way her tears taste._

"Rory Gilmore!"

Rory snapped her head away from Logan's jaw in search of the voice. Logan had stopped moving and Rory was yanked back when her feet tried to move. Turning her head, she saw Jess Mariano gliding towards her and Logan.

Logan's hand slackened from hers and she could feel her face twist in shock. This was return of the ex-boyfriends. Dean Forester would be around the next bend, she was sure of it.

"Jess, what on earth are you doing here?" Rory's voice contorted in surprise as the handsome man stepped closer.

"I'm visiting Connecticut. Luke said I should try and find you, but you weren't at your apartment," Jess was now in front of her and Logan, smiling widely.

"Well, wow. Yeah, I'm just taking a walk. But wow, it's been so long," Rory felt flabbergasted. She searched for words in her brain, but nothing came up.

"I know! God, you look good. How've you been?" He asked, stepping in closer for a hug. Rory could feel heat radiating from Logan's body as she wound her arms around Jess.

She broke away and tried to smile. "I've been okay. How about you?"

Jess twisted around as if looking for something. When he spotted it, whatever it was, he turned back to face Rory. "Really good, thank you. Um, do you wanna sit down for a bit? I've got a table at that little restaurant right there. There's enough room for you and your guest."

Rory looked to where he was pointing and chose to ignore the annoyed infliction of Jess's tone at his last sentence. She moved her attention to Logan, seeing his face warped with slight rage.

"What do you think Logan?" Rory asked, her voice squeaking a bit more than she would have liked. Logan's stare didn't leave Jess, but he put on a smile and nodded.

"Why the hell not."

"Great. Well, come on then," Jess led the two across the street to a table.

Rory sat across from Jess, pulling Logan down next to her. He thumped onto the bench, his fist invisible from everyone but Rory. She grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly, attempting to silently tell him to calm down.

A bottle on its side was the only thing, besides a few napkins and menus, on the table. Jess kept on looking around, searching for something Rory couldn't see. His eyes were trained on the front doors of the restaurant.

"So," Rory said awkwardly, wishing she were not here at the moment. She only ever spoke to Jess around Christmas and their respective birthdays. It was weird to be so close to him after all this time. "What exactly brings you here?"

Jess, struggling to not oddly stare at the doors, cleared his throat. "Um, just visiting. You. Sorry I didn't call in advance or anything."

"No, it's fine. Just a bit of a surprise. Sorry I wasn't home earlier. I was at Logan's."

At the sound of Logan's name, Jess snapped his head away and transferred his peculiar watch from the doors to Logan. Rory wanted to run away.

"Right, Logan. Hey," Jess held out his hand and Rory felt Logan's tremor as he took the shake.

"Hello, Jess. Wonderful to see you again," Logan's voice dripped with sarcasm. Rory could've sworn she saw his hazel eyes take on a stronger green.

"Right back at you, buddy."

Same old, same old. It was like she was still in university.

The doors to the restaurant opened suddenly, tearing each of the threesome's concentration. A woman, a baby in hand, exited the building.

"There you are! I was getting worried," Jess stood up, nodding towards Rory. He walked to where the woman stood with the child.

Rory's mind was fumbling over itself as she watched Jess lean in to kiss the woman's lips. His hand caressed the baby's head gently and he released the woman before gathering the child in his arms.

"Rory Gilmore, I would like you to meet my fiancée, Katherine and my little girl, Rachel."

Rory choked on nothing, thanking Logan with her eyes when he brought a hand up to rub her back. She saw a worried look in his eyes and tried desperately to relieve his concern by smiling. His expression didn't change.

The woman, Katherine, sat down across from Rory, pulling Jess down gently next to her.

"Hello, Rory. I've heard so much about you!" Katherine extended a hand to Rory and she had no choice but to take it. The world was definitely spinning. She looked desperately at Logan whose face was trained on Jess'.

"I hope all good things," Rory laughed out quietly.

"Definitely, definitely. So, who's this you've got next to you. I thought you were single?" Katherine's question was followed by a grunt. Jess glared at his fiancée.

"This is my boyfriend, Logan," Rory's faint worry swiped away as she said Logan's name. She brought her arm up to wrap it around his. He slid closer to her.

"Logan, it's wonderful to meet you," Katherine did not attempt to shake Logan's hand. She could probably sense his annoyance.

"You're engaged," might as well get the weird bit over with.

"Uh, yeah. It's been about a year," Jess looks over at Katherine, the baby still asleep in his arms. "We were originally planning on getting married during the summer but then Kathy got pregnant with Rachel, so we decided to wait until the pregnancy was over."

His voice was full of such warmth and admiration that Rory was slightly caught of guard. This was Jess. Her bad boy boyfriend. Smoking, drinking, not-so-tall, dark, and handsome. What was he doing with a baby and a fiancée?

"I was going to tell you last Christmas about the engagement, but I thought it was face to face news. Sorry it took so long," he smiled at Rory sheepishly and she felt her heart swarm with delight and slivers of confusion.

"Yeah, no. I'm-I'm really happy for you, Jess. And Katherine," Rory was surprised with how genuinely happy she was. Logan's stiff body next to hers made her giggle and she rested her head on his arm. He would never admit it, but she could tell the contact of her head relaxed him.

"So, Logan, what's up with you?" Jess asked, a disapproving glint to his tone. Rory wanted to kick him.

"Um," Logan began, looking down at Rory, a smile threatening to break out. "I got a job at Chilton over the summer, ran into Rory a few weeks back, and now here we are."

"A teacher?" Jess asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

"Yeah, a teacher. English teacher, actually. For the advanced class. Whatever that means," Logan wrapped an arm around Rory, pulling her into his embrace. She inhaled his cologne, willing herself not to close her eyes.

"Wow."

Logan laughed at Jess. "Yeah, wow. But hey, a lot's changed in seven years," Logan said gesturing towards baby Rachel.

Jess smiled and nodded his head in approval. "I guess so. Do you guys want to order any food?"

Rory captured Logan's stare and begged to stay for food. He nodded his head, leaning down to press his lips to her cheek. Rory heard Katherine's "awe" and blushed.

"Yes, please."

_The world may call it a second chance, but when I came back it was more of a relapse. Anticipation's on the other line and obsession called while you were out. Oh, it called while you were out._

"And then, in front of everyone at the launch, he got down on one knee. He was covered in the spilled champagne, but I still said yes. And the kiss was rather sweet afterwards."

The evening was getting chillier and the stories were dying down. Katherine and Jess switched between holding Rachel who had yet to wake up. Logan had laughed along with everyone and even shared a few of his own stories.

"That's a very romantic proposal, Jess. I never thought you'd get there," Rory admitted, laughing.

Jess smiled at her, his teeth on display. "I know. I never thought I would, either. But when you know, well, you know," Katherine's cheeks flamed and Jess bent over to kiss her for about the millionth time that afternoon.

At the sound of her parents lips smacking, Rachel stirred. She reached her tiny arms up and scrunched her face, letting out a guttural squeal.

"Oh, gosh. I've got to feed her. I'll be in the car, Jess," Katherine got up from the table. "It was so lovely to meet you, Rory. And you, Logan." Rory nodded her head and waved goodbye as Katherine wandered off.

"I've got to go to the bathroom really bad," Logan said as he stood up. He leaned in to kiss Rory's temple before entering the restaurant.

"Alone at last," Jess said teasingly. Rory kicked his leg. "Ouch, Rory."

She laughed and placed her hands on the table, straightening her posture. "What are you really doing here, Jess?" Rory asked. Logan had been a gentleman all night, but Jess continued to glare at him whenever he thought Rory wasn't watching.

"Ugh, you're going to make me say it, aren't you?" Rory didn't say anything, she just frowned expectantly. "Luke wanted me to check on you."

"No!" Rory gasped, her eyes widening.

"Hey, he was worried. So was Lorelai. I said I'd see how you were," Jess looked at her anxiously. "But I was expecting a depressed version of you. I didn't know you had gotten back together with Mr. Fancypants."

"He's a lot better now, Jess. And actually, he's the reason I'm so happy."

"Are you sure?" Jess asked, frowning.

"Trust me, please. I was so lost and angry before he reentered my life. I was working at a freaking bookstore. Life had no real meaning for me. But he came into the store one day, with a handful of books I had told him about, and instantly had me. He's it, I think."

Rory was talking to herself more than Jess now. He was it. There was no turning away from this. She wasn't being stupid or naive or even speedy with the decision. He'd been it since he first knocked on her dorm door all those long years ago.

"You're happy?" He asked, reaching over to take her hand.

She held on and nodded. "I am so freaking happy, Jess."

"Ace, you ready to go?" Logan exited the restaurant with a big smirk on his face. Had he heard her? No…no.

"Yes, Logan, let's go look at more stupid apartment buildings," Rory said getting up. She walked to Jess and held her arms open. He met her embrace with enthusiasm.

"Let's not forget you're engaged, buddy," Logan said mockingly.

"Right, right. How foolish me. I'll see you around, okay? Maybe not for a little while, but I will see you. Okay?"

"Yes, yes. Okay. Bye, Jess. Good luck with the baby and the wife," Rory said as Jess once again shook hands with Logan. She stepped over to Logan as Jess walked off into the glowing sunset. He grabbed her arm and started them on their walk home.

"That was actually kind of fun," Logan's confused expression made Rory smile.

"You sound surprised, Logan," Rory laughed out, watching his eyes flame in the sunlight.

"Eh, I guess I just wasn't expecting it," he bent down to kiss her lips. It was chaste and sweet, but her head spun with wanton heat. "Oh, by the way," he continued as they walked. "You've got an interview on Monday with the Hartford Courant."

"What?" Rory gulped, nearly smacking into a lamppost.

"Yeah, they've got a nice spot open for you," he chuckled as her grip tightened. She jumped up and down repeatedly for a moment.

"I love you."

Logan ceased their walk. He let go of her hand and stared at her, mouth agape.

_Shit._ Rory thought. _Too soon?_

"Move in with me."

Rory spluttered. "What?"

"Move in with me. Again. Forget looking at stupid apartments. I've got enough room for a large colony of rats in that townhouse. It get's lonely. Come on, Ace. Move in with me. I promise I'll kick the rats out," Logan sounded desperate. Rory was caught off guard with the sincerity in his voice. It shook with need.

"I-" she broke, taking a breath. "Yes." No thinking. Just doing.

Logan's arms were around her before she could blink, squeezing all the love out of her. He broke away, grabbing at her face. He leant his forehead against hers. His eyes were closed but he was smiling brightly.

"Say it again."

Rory giggled. "Logan Huntzberger, I love you."

"God, I love you too, Ace."

He pressed his lips to hers in a flurry of heat. He attacked her soul with his fervor, soaked her in his glory. People passed them and grumbled their dissatisfaction, but neither Rory nor Logan cared.

Eventually, though, they needed air outside of their bubble and they broke away.

They ran the rest of the way home.

Home.

Their home.

_Asleep in the hive, I guess all the buzzing got to me. Well, I'm still alive. At night your body is a symphony. And I'm conducting._

He set her on the bed, their naked bodies sweating nervously with inexperience. Logan had said a little after they reconnected that he had remained celibate for a while, not necessarily by his own choice, but because he was still hung up on a girl who broke his heart years ago. Rory had grinned and simply kissed him then.

But now, there was nothing to hold them back.

As the sun descended behind the earth, following the sea around to the other half of the world, Rory Gilmore finally became real.

Logan pressed kisses everywhere, leaving a trail of erotic fire in place of his lips. Rory writhed beneath him, feeling a tightening in her stomach. Her body rippled with a want that only Logan could vanquish.

His fingers purposefully grazed up her sides, causing squeals of delight to escape her throat. He kissed her lips as though this was the last time the opportunity would present itself. Her thoughts glazed over as euphoria took control.

He sucked and licked and bit down, enjoying the sounds he was able to elicit from her. Her breaths came out heavy and jumbled together. They mixed with his own shaky, intoxicating exhalation.

They were bare together, their bodies naked and their hearts stripped. When he was ready and when she was begging, he took the descent into the electric unknown.

She'd missed it. She had. His body rocking above her, pressing against her, loving her. It was powerful and passionate and filled her with an urgency she'd never felt before.

He whispered his love for her and she replied with elated nods and twists of his hair and kisses to his lips, throat, collarbone. Her hands grabbed at his jaw every now and again to fuse their lips together. His stubble tingled her fingertips and sent shots of adrenaline through her bloodstream.

It ended like always.

He groaned her name into her mouth as he desperately tried not to shake and she held onto his shoulders in hopes that they would literally meld together and stay like this for the rest of time.

But they had to disentangle themselves eventually.

And when their high left them, they were still smiling like idiots in love. Because that's what they were; they were the stupidest, most in love people the world had ever seen. They disregarded the idea that they were anything else.

_Put another X on the calendar, summer's on its deathbed. There is simply nothing worse than knowing how it ends. And I meant everything I said that night. I will come back to life, but only for you. Only for you. _

**Current Time**

"Hi, honey, I'm home!" Rory called as she closed the door to their place. The day had been long and wearing. All she wanted to do was curl into Logan and forget that assholes who thought their articles were more important than hers existed.

When she didn't hear Logan's reply, she kicked her shoes off and slumped her bag down by the door. Walking up the stairs, she saw all of the lights were off.

Her face rumpled in puzzlement. "Logan, are you home?"

Rory flipped on the lights, seeing nothing out of order. Her book still lay on the coffee table, the remote control for the television was haphazardly balanced on the sofa.

She entered the kitchen and saw that Logan had at least eaten dinner. Must be napping. She hoped that his day hadn't been so bad.

Deciding that she wasn't all that hungry, Rory plopped on the sofa and picked up her book. She flipped to the awaiting page, glancing towards their bedroom door one last time before turning her attention to the rereading of The Perks of Being A Wallflower.

She read:

_Dear Rory,_

_My beautiful Rory, my Ace girl. _

This isn't Stephen Chbosky's novel.

_I remember the first (fine, the second time we met. Don't come screaming saying I forgot again) time I saw you. You were hanging flyers for the wake of the professor Paris was involved with. I was stupid and young and full of myself when I met you. I was cocky and thought that I'd be able to snag you and then leave you. What I didn't realise was how hard I was falling for you. _

_I thought maybe the reason I was so caught up with you was because you refused my advances. You wanted commitment and I didn't. So maybe if I slept with you, I would get over you. And then you gave in and I definitely didn't - couldn't - get over you. If anything, I collapsed into you. _

_You've been running around with a piece of my soul ever since that night. I think that's why it hurt so bad when you left me. Because I was a part of you, but maybe you weren't yet a part of me. _

_I set my mind on forgetting you, but it didn't work. Not at all. When I saw you again, I realised my falling for you hadn't ever stopped. And when you gave in again, I knew this was it. I knew you were it. I knew it seven years ago and I knew it two months ago and I know it now. _

_I'm scared of this. I've been alone for a long time, following your ghost around. But you're mine, I know that. I feel it whenever you look at me, whenever you touch me. It's in your scent and it's laced on your lips. _

_So, what do you say, Ace? My wonderful, talented, perfect, loving, and absolutely breathtaking Ace. _

_Forever yours,_

_Logan._

"What do I say?" Rory asked out loud, tears staining the page. This letter was attached to the spine of the book. It was a part of the book. It was a part of the story.

"What do you say, Ace?" Logan's voice startled her. She jumped up, the book falling from her lap. Logan bent down to retrieve it, remaining on his knee by her feet.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black box.

Rory's heart was exploding in slow motion.

"It's not too soon, you can't say that. I refuse to let you say that," Logan's voice was tight and raw with emotion. "Rory Gilmore, the wonderful Rory, will you marry me?"

He said the words slowly as if allowing them to sink into her thought process.

Marry?

"I-" she broke off, shaking the tears that had welled in her eyes. She got down on her knees, coming face to face with the man she loved. "Yes."

Simple. Her world changing forever because of a monosyllable word.

Logan's face sparked, his eyes widening like he just realised what he'd done.

He kissed her quickly, pulling her head to his. He kissed her jaw all the way to the base of her throat.

"How'd you do it?" She asked breathlessly.

Logan chortled, still kissing along her collarbone. "Remember how Jess works for a publishing company?" He replied between kisses. She nodded her head and hoped she wouldn't have to speak. "Right, well he was able to get a reprint on the book because the movie came out not so long ago. It blew up again this past summer, the sales on the book, and his company got the rights to reprint. I had him add that just for you. Your own special copy."

He kissed her lips longingly.

"Oh, I need to put the ring on," he said, grabbing her left hand and sliding the ring down. It fit perfectly.

"It'll take some getting used to," Rory said elegantly, admiring the simple solitaire diamond.

"It's not the same one, don't worry."

Logan must have seen her eyes wavering.

"Good. Is it white gold or silver?" She asked, not really caring but rather wanting to stop herself from having a complete mental breakdown.

"White Gold. More expensive than silver."

"I have to call my mom!" Rory cried, jumping up.

"You can call her later, Ace. Don't you wanna have completely passionate, wild proposal sex first?"

Logan looked at Rory expectantly, his eyebrows quirked up in question. She stared at the ring on her finger, a wave of elation washing over her.

"You're right," she said. "The call can wait."

"God, kiss me woman," Logan moaned. "Kiss me while we're _far_ too young to die."

As they got lost in each others touch, their worlds met for the final time. There would be no parting after this. Their bodies may disconnect, but their stars were joined together permanently, glued by the love of these people.

It was their thing: meeting, falling in love, falling not quite out of love, and falling in love over and over and over again.

They are written in the stars; an endless romantic story.

* * *

**A/N 2: **What did you think? Sappy ending? Too cliché or something? I do like a stupidly dramatic ending. A clincher ending is the best. Onto the music!

I added again the Panic! at the Disco theme. Their song _Far Too Young To Die_ was referenced quite a bit, especially towards the end. It was the song Rory was listening to in the shower. Listen to that song. It's good. Find the little nods to it in the story. And of course, _The Calendar_ played a ginormous role during the whole backtracking Rory and Logan's relationship. I had fun trying to figure out how to create a story revolved around those lyrics.

Only 64 more days until I see those guys in show again! So excited.

Look for more updates on Adam and Eve and keep a look out for new stuff. I've got plenty brewing in my head.

Sincerely yours,

(insert name here)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** This little story thing is getting a lot of nice feedback and I am so thankful to every single one of you reading. Even if you don't do all the fancy stuff like reviewing and favouriting, just the fact that you take the time to read these silly words that I write means so much more than you guys can imagine. It's such a strange thing, knowing that people are reading something, liking something, that I imagined in my head. I don't even know where this thing came from, it just sort of wrote itself. I tried to be a bit more on the classic Gilmore Girls humour side with this chapter, so I hope I did it justice. Because that was one thing that I simply adored about the show, that wonderful humour.

This is a two-part thing. When it gets to the end don't be thinking "Oh no! She's left us all hanging!" I haven't, I just definitely couldn't fit it all in this thing. Otherwise you would have gotten bored and never read anything again. It's funny how this was originally just supposed to be a one-shot, but now is going to be five chapters long. Makes me happy. Oh, there's a Gilmore Girls episode title somewhere in here. See if you can find it!

So please, enjoy this next installment of But Only For You. It was fun to write and I hope it's equally enjoyable to read. If you feel so inclined, review, favourite, follow and stuff. Don't worry about it, though, you don't have to. At all. Don't think I'm asking for it, just saying that if you want to, you can.

And with that really long authors note (I feel I'll be infamous for them), here we go.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, nor do I own any lyrics that are present in this story. I own nothing!**

* * *

**Call It A Second Chance**

_ It was always you falling for me,_

_ Now there's always time calling for me;_

_ I'm the light blinking at the end of the road,_

_ Blink back to let me know._

She was never a drinker. Alcohol rarely excited her and usually the thought of it caused tremors in her stomach. So when she woke up to face a blinking alarm clock reading 11:23 a.m., her throat feeling as if something had buried itself in her stomach for centuries before deciding to just recently claw its way out of her mouth, and her head spinning, she was thoroughly confused. Although, her head hurt so much to the point she wasn't entirely sure if she was capable of confusion.

Her arm was numb and pressed underneath a heavy object. Said object dripped sweat and grumbled when she attempted to remove her tingling limb.

Rory opened her eyes dangerously slow, observing her surroundings. The walls were a sickly green, the light was blinding, and she was going to throw up any second.

She yanked her arm free from its captivity and blindly stood up. With no time to spare a glance at whoever shared a bed with her last night she frantically looked around for a bathroom, feeling the gurgle of bile slipping up her throat. Everything moved around her as she stumbled towards the the only other door in the small motel room.

It must be a motel room. The sheets on the bed were horribly cliché, the carpet was shag, the panels on the walls wore what looked like bullet holes, and the bathroom floor was musty. But Rory didn't care as she threw her head over the toilet bowl.

Flashes of last night blurbed through her head when she sat against the disgusting wall of the bathroom.

Neon lights, dancing, flirting, heart pounding, drinking.

"Oh, God," she sighed, clutching her throbbing head and twisting at her matted hair. She slowly stood up, watching as the room spun, and took a look at herself in the mirror.

Mascara smudged around her eyes like a raccoon and her lipstick was smeared across her cheek. She looked like a hooker. A hooker wearing someone else's clothes. Men's clothes. Button down shirt, no bra, boxer-briefs; the lot. Now, the question remaining, what the hell led to Rory Gilmore, engaged Rory Gilmore, being hungover in a motel room?

"Ace, is that you?"

Rory whipped her head to the side and came face to face with a naked Logan Huntzberger. She closed her eyes and clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling a laugh. Acid burned in her throat and her mouth tasted horrible _and_ it felt like an elephant decided to take a nap on her brain, but at least she hadn't slept with some stranger.

"I think it's me, yeah," she replied, shaking her aching head. With the foul taste in her mouth, she bent over the sink and gargled some water before returning to her naked lover.

"I'm naked."

"I see that," Logan smiled at Rory's retort and she felt her cheeks flame up.

"How is it that you're not naked and I am?" He asked, gesturing to Rory's attire.

Rory's head exploded with revelation and she sucked in a breath. "You-" she pointed at Logan. "You are not supposed to be naked," she stomped over to him, poking his chest. "We," she said, gesturing between them, "we are supposed to be celibate. We made a promise to not have sex until the wedding night," Logan looked at her flabbergasted, his mouth hanging open. "God dammit, Logan. We had sex!"

She smacked his arm and watched his face twist in pain.

"What was that for, woman?" He asked, rubbing gently at the red mark on his arm.

She fumed, "We had sex! You know what sex is, right?"

He laughed then, scruffing her messy hair. "I think so," he mused, caressing his chin in mock thought. "It's the thing where my penis gets all up in your vagina, right?"

"You're so - I can't - you - ugh!" Rory exclaimed, pounding her small fists against Logan's chest repeatedly. His laughter penetrated her eardrums and she frowned, imagining steam releasing from her nose, ears, and mouth.

"Rory, Rory, Rory," he pleaded, trying to stop her rigorous beating. She looked up at him and put her arms by her sides, waiting. "Right, I don't think we had sex."

"But-"

"I'm naked, I know. And sweating like a mad thing," she smiled at him. "But I know when we have sex. I get this feeling, this tingling feeling that has nothing to do with intense orgasms you supply me with, whenever we have, what are the kids calling this days? Oh, right, sex." He's mocking her, but she didn't mind.

If she thought about it, she understood him. Whenever they did it (had sex, made love, mated, had the sexy times), she felt a warm gush of energy soak through her. It lasted for hours and sometimes days. It was the feeling, the understanding, that she was sleeping with, making love to, the person who was always going to be hers. It was like God was saying, "you know, I usually don't allow people to have sex before marriage, but you two are so special and belong together that I'm going to let this one slide."

She imagined that was how God talked.

"We didn't have sex?" She asked, her voice squeaking at the end.

"No, I would remember. You were the one who was crazy drunk last night, Ace, not me."

"Stupid hen night. I hate my mother," Rory said tiredly, rubbing her temples slowly. "I need hangover food."

"We'll be making a stop on the way home. Tacos, right?" He asked and Rory nodded, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"I made a good choice in agreeing to marry you."

"That you did, Ace. Do you remember much about what happened last night?"

Neon lights, dancing, flirting, heart pounding, drinking.

"Kind of."

Logan stepped to her and guided her to the messy bed.

"You went batshit crazy," he said, rubbing a thumb absentmindedly across her knuckles. "By the time you had called me, saying all of these wonderful things that you loved about me, you were pretty drunk off your ass."

"Okay, but how did I get to that point?"

"Probably by drinking alcohol."

She smacked him again, "You said you caught up with us at some point. You must know what happened. At least some of what happened. I mean, where is my mother?"

Logan laughed and pulled Rory's head to his shoulder, "I dropped her home after you drunk dialed me and begged me to come out. She's safe and sound, Ace."

"But, why don't I remember any of this?" She was frustrated with herself. She was Rory Soon-To-Not-Be-Gilmore, not some floozy who got drunk on her hen night.

"Focus, Ace, you got drunk," Logan said mockingly.

"Yes, yes, I know," she said, patting his head. "But how. And I want a real answer."

"Right, okay, well, as I was getting your mother back into Luke's care she was going on about how her, Lane, Paris, Kathy, Honor and Sooki spiked your club sodas. You had about three, I think, and in each one they put a shot of straight vodka," Logan flinched, preparing his body for Rory's reaction, but it never came. She was frozen on his shoulder, her chest moving every now and again to signal she was still breathing.

"They poisoned me with vodka? Even Kathy?" She asked after some time wallowing in silence.

"Do you not understand the meaning of hen night?" Logan asked, running his hands through her increasingly matted hair.

"It's my last night of _freedom_. I wanted to remember it at least."

"Well, I'm sure they're very sorry. They got pretty pissed, too. Even Paris. Which was a weird sight," Logan shook his head as if attempting to disperse the images from his mind.

Rory sat up, lifting her head off of Logan's shoulder and feeling a sense of cold at the loss of her lovers skin. She eyed him carefully, drinking in the sight of him naked and next to her.

"You're still naked," Rory pointed out tiredly.

"And you're still extremely observant," Logan retorted, his face spreading in a warm smile that melted Rory where she was sat.

Rory stayed there for a second, thinking. In less than 24 hours, she would be a married woman. Tomorrow, she would wake up without Logan by her side only to be thrust into a never-ending romance with him. Her world was finally coming together, stitching itself at the broken seams. Ten months ago her life seemed hopeless and headed for nowhere. And then he came in and made it better, fixed it with sarcasm and smiles.

She felt like the version of herself that she embraced when Logan stepped up the first time during their years at Yale. Nervous jitters constantly gnawed at her and she couldn't help but feel whole when he was there.

"Wait a second," Rory interrupted the silence once more. "If you came to pick me up last night, what happened to your stag night?"

Logan looked at her sheepishly, running a hand through his ever-blonde locks, "I- uh -abandoned it to come save you. And everyone else. From, you know, dying. It was a worthy cause. The guys didn't mind," Rory frowned at him. "Okay, okay, they minded. But I didn't. I promise."

"Was Finn really upset? Collin? Jess? Uhh…" she broke off and looked at him quizzically. "Do you have any other friends?"

"No, Ace, just you, my two idiot collegiate buddies, and your ex-boyfriend," Rory couldn't believe the connection Jess and Logan had made since Logan's return. And it helped that Rory was in love with his now-wife, Kathy. "Oh, Josh was there."

Rory grinned, her belly getting increasingly warm. "Right, right, my soon-to-be brother-in-law. I don't know, though. We didn't discuss who was going to be at the Huntzberger stag night."

"Mhm, well, it wasn't just them. The two strippers we hired got the total up to seven, including me." Logan's smiling face transformed into one of agony when Rory flicked him on the side of the head. "What was that for, Ace? You've been overtly abusive this morning. Alcohol and you do not a good mix make. You're going to ruin me for our wedding photos."

It was there. He had said it. He had admitted it out loud while naked and sitting next to the hungover Rory.

"We're getting married tomorrow," she squeaked excitedly. Logan leaned down and pecked her cheek.

"And I am super happy about it."

"You better be, mister," she said, pointing a finger at his nose.

"Truly. Speaking of this wedding, I wrote a note to Lorelai saying I would drop you off at her place this morning to get preened and stuff before tomorrow. I called the guys and told them I'd get to Collin and Mackenzie's house by twelve. They live a little bit away, so maybe we should get moving."

"Still can't believe Collin is married. And hey, I look like I just won a UFC fight. Not really the 'going to see your mother look' I was going for. Besides, I don't even want to see her. She got me drunk last night!" Rory whined, thumping her head back onto Logan's shoulder.

"Oh, Ace," Logan sighed out. "You'll be fine. If you just wipe your face a bit, you'll look kind of presentable."

"Yeah, on this lovely subject of presentableness, you'll need clothes." Rory quirked an eyebrow at Logan, watching his eyes search her body. Her cheeks flamed with the childish giddiness she felt whenever he looked at her like that.

"You're wearing my clothes."

"What?"

"You deaf, Ace?" He asked, lightly pinching her ear. She smacked his hand away and he giggled youthfully. "I said you are wearing my clothes."

"Why am I wearing your clothes?"

"God, with all these 'why' questions I'm kind of wishing we had our own television show so I could show you exactly what happened last night."

"Just, answer the question, Logan!" Rory persisted, her face falling from grace.

"Okay, right. Well, you called me, remember?" Rory nodded her head, signaling Logan to continue and never stop until the entire story was out. "Yes, you did. And when I got there, after abandoning _all_ my friends at my stag party, you were sort of…how do I put this delicately?" He took a deep breath and attempted to contain his oncoming chuckle. "Horny. You were horny. And you came onto me. I wouldn't have normally minded you begging me for sex, but you were drunk. I said no, of course. You were persistent, though. I wonder what drunk sex would be like with you."

Rory snapped her fingers in front of Logan's face, "Ugh, Logan! What does this have to do with me wearing your clothes?"

He blinked away his fantasies, nodding his head. "Well, when we got here, you started removing all of my clothes. I couldn't stop you, either. You were like some ferocious tigress ready for mating season," he put his hands up like paws and scratched at the air. Rory laughed at the idiocy of it all. "Funny, eh? Ahem, well, so while you were tearing my clothes off, you kind of, um, threw up. All over your dress." His face went grim and dark and Rory gagged.

"I threw up in front of you?" Rory put her head in her hands, flinching when Logan placed a hand on her back.

"Hey, at least it wasn't_ on_ me. But yes, on your dress and in front of me. I already had lost all my clothes, so I cleaned your face up a bit, brushed your teeth with the spare toothbrush I keep in my car, and put you to bed. I've got my trousers here, but you're wearing my pants." Rory examined her exterior. Definitely Logan's.

"So, will you just leave here with trousers on? No pants or shirt?" Rory asked, fiddling with the flint on her/Logan's button-down.

"I've got an undershirt. It'll be fine. Collin and I are roughly the same size. I'm sure he's got a bunch of unworn clothes in that huge house of his." Rory looked at her fiancé and smiled again, thanking that God person for all that she had.

"Then let's get a move on, Huntzberger."

She kissed his lips for a moment, losing herself in pleasure before getting up and preparing for her day.

* * *

"Mom, quit fiddling. I'm getting in the shower."

Rory was walking towards the bathroom with Lorelai in tow, nipping and swiping at all the grime on her daughter's body.

"I know, but you look like you just lost a UFC fight," Rory turned around, toppling a bit when Lorelai ran into her, and hugged her mother tightly. "Hey, kid, get off. You smell like vomit and a cheap motel room."

"Sorry, I just really love you."

"I love you too, but seriously, get off."

"Not until you apologise for getting me drunk," Rory said, squeezing.

Lorelai dramatically gasped for breath, clawing lightly at Rory's hair. "Okay, okay! I surrender. Please forgive me for getting you wasted. It was an innocent thing!"

Rory released her mother and opened her mouth, shocked. "Innocent?" She questioned, placing her hands on her hips defiantly. "You got me blackout drunk! I tried to seduce Logan!"

"Honey, have you not had sex with him yet? It's been a while. Hey, look, you're not really mad at me for getting you drunk, you're just sexually frustrated!" Lorelai clapped a hand on Rory's shoulder, earning a growl from the smaller girl.

"Mom!" She shrieked.

"Okay, okay," Lorelai relinquished. "I'm sorry I got you drunk. To be honest, I don't really remember doing it, but I bet I felt horrible when it was happening."

"Right," Rory said unconvinced. Lorelai just stared at her with Bambi eyes.

"Get in the shower, kid, before I decide to just throw you in the imaginary pool we have out back." Lorelai kicked Rory's leg to push her forward.

"You'd just be throwing me in mud, mom. Not cool."

"Oh, you know you love me," Lorelai replied, slapping Rory's back as she turned away to get in the shower.

When Rory had phoned her mother eight months ago from Logan's place, a new engagement ring adorning her dainty finger, Lorelai had insisted that she and Luke return home immediately to help plan for the wedding.

Because Lorelai had never been the biggest fan of Logan, Rory's fears escalated when she realised she hadn't really ever said that she and Logan had even started dating again. She had said in passing that Logan was back in town and had become an English teacher. She mentioned that he helped her get her job at the Courant. But never did it slip through her lips that they were dating. Or that they were living together.

So, when she screamed through the telephone line to Europe that she was engaged, Lorelai was shocked. Flabbergasted. Startled. Slightly unsettled. Take your pick of synonym. And then slowly, ever so slowly, as the younger Lorelai spoke to her mother about love and passion and it all just feeling right, Lorelai Sr. began to understand.

The next day, Luke and Lorelai had booked a flight and returned home mid-November to Stars Hollow. The Gilmore home, with Logan and Rory inside, welcomed them back with crying, cheers of congratulations, and excitement.

Suddenly, the fact that Rory had been abandoned by her rock and her stepfather didn't matter. Her mother had rushed home, her mother was there, her mother was holding her. It was all coming together.

Luke immediately took back control of his diner from Kirk, the Dragonfly Inn welcomed Lorelai with open arms, and Rory couldn't have been happier.

After Rory had lathered her hair generously in conditioner and shampoo and had scrubbed her body down nicely, she left the bathroom with high spirits.

"Ah, the prodigal daughter returns," Lorelai greeted her. "You look much better now."

"Thanks, mom," Rory said sarcastically, throwing her towel and Logan's leftover clothes on the ground by her mother's feet.

"Hey, I don't want to clean these thing's up!" She called as Rory walked to her old room.

"I'm the one getting married in 22 hours, mom. Do what I say!"

"You wanted to have an early wedding. I didn't decide that 11:00 in the _morning_ would be a good idea!"

"I think it's a good time," Rory said, sticking her head back into the hallway. "We get there at eight, get ready and stuff, do all the photos. Then people arrive at 10:30, ceremony starts at 11:00 and finishes before 12:00. Then lunch! Perfect."

Rory had the look of an angel on her face and Lorelai gave up, picking the wet and dirty cloths off the floor in a huff.

"Thanks, ma, you're the best," Rory declared as she sauntered off to her bedroom.

"Yeah, yeah," Lorelai mumbled.

As if it sensed that she was finally alone, the minute Rory closed her door, her phone began to ring.

Sparing no time to look at names, she swiped at the "ANSWER" button and spoke, "Hello, Rory Soon-To-Be-Huntzberger speaking."

"Ah, good, this is her fiancé, Logan," Rory could hear the smirk on his face.

"Logan!" She chastised. "You're not supposed to be talking to me. We've entered the last day of single-hood. Leave me alone."

"But-" he started. "You saw me naked just this morning." In the background, Rory heard more voices. She gathered fragments of their commenting, ranging from "Gross, Logan," to a very sarcastic "Oh, how sweet."

"Shut up. I'm hanging up now," Rory pulled the phone down, but heard Logan shout and brought it back up to her ear. "What? Are you okay?" She asked, worried.

"Hm? Yeah, yeah. I just wanted say that I loved you. I love you. There, I said it. I'll hang up first so you don't get the opportunity to say it back. Bye! See you tomorrow Almost-Mrs.-Huntzberger."

The line clicked dead. Exhausted from the emotions boiling inside of her, Rory fell onto her childhood bed and closed her eyes, slipping into a realm of fantasy and wonder.

**The Next Day**

"Rory," someone was shaking her.

"Mmmblbm."

"Rory, hon, those aren't real words."

"Then go away," she said in the most immature way she could muster.

"It's six a.m. darling. You asked for the wakeup call," Lorelai pushed on Rory's shoulder, but the smaller girl stayed planted.

"No I didn't," she whinged, smacking away her mother's hand.

"You said you would say that, and told me to say, and I quote, 'Just get me up, mom. I'll be happy to be awake at six for the wedding'."

Rory sat up quick, nearly banging her head on the shelf that had magically appeared above her bed.

"The wedding," she mumbled tiredly, rubbing her eyes. Getting up, she blew past Lorelai and went into the kitchen. A bouquet of flowers with a note attached adorned the kitchen table. She quickly waltzed up to them and grabbed at the note, but something snatched it from her grasp. "Mom!" She cried, reaching once more for the card.

"Ah pah pah, no you don't. He gave me strict orders to not let you read this until you're ready to walk down the aisle. And yes," Lorelai interrupted her daughter's attempt to speak. "I gave him his gift as well."

"You're a good mom."

"I try my best."

Rory tapped her mom on the head, "You succeed. So, what's first on the to-do list?"

Lorelai tapped her chin with her index finger and observed her daughter. Rory shrank under the gaze, "Well, Kathy's on her way to do your hair and makeup, Sooki and Luke are getting all the final arrangements in for the lunch, Paris, Honor, and Lane are currently setting up the ceremony in the town square, and I am here getting you up."

"What a hard job you have," Rory teased, walking over to hug her mother.

"It is hard. You refused to wake up."

"Yeah, but, for like, one second," Rory said as she extracted herself from the embrace.

"One second is a long time in mom years. Just ask Kathy when she gets here. Hey, how lucky is it that Jess married a makeup artist, huh?" Lorelai asked while she prepared Rory some coffee.

"Very lucky," Rory agreed. "I'm gonna get in the shower, okay? Tell Kath that's where I am if she gets here before I'm out."

"Who's Kath? I only know a Kathy. Kath sounds like you're referring to a catheter. Are you referring to a catheter?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes, mom, I'm asking you to tell a catheter that I'm in the shower and to wait for me until I'm out," Rory mocked.

When she stepped under the stream of hot water, Rory noticed all the little things. This was the last shower she was to take before being a married woman. The last morning she would wake up without a wedding band twisted around her finger. The last day she would be a Gilmore. Well, sort of.

_"I'm not changing my name," Rory had said._

_"Wouldn't expect anything different from my Ace," Logan had replied, feeling her creep up to him in the bed._

_"Are you okay with me staying a Gilmore?" She had asked, worry rippling through her._

_"I didn't fall in love with a Huntzberger, I fell in love with a Gilmore. You are Rory Gilmore, not Rory Huntzberger."_

_"I won't be one of those crazy people who says 'no, you must call me Gilmore!' I promise you." _

_"Good, good. I was getting worried," Logan said as he turned around to face her. His eyes were glistening in the moonlight and she reached out to smooth her fingers down his cheek. His lips puckered, kissing her palm lightly and sending shots of pleasure through Rory._

_"How about I do change my name, but have it be Huntzberger-Gilmore?" Rory questioned, running her thumb across Logan's lip. His whole body quivered at the touch._

_"No, no, you gotta have Gilmore first," Logan implored._

_"But then people would call me Huntzberger. I kind of want your name to become mine. Huntzberger-Gilmore so people call me Gilmore. How does that sound?"_

_"Lorelai Huntzberger-Gilmore. That's one hell of a mouthful."_

_"I love you, Logan," she whispered, brushing her nose against his, their breath mingling, dancing together in the air. _

_"And I love you, Ace Gilmore. There, how's that? Instead of becoming Huntzberger, you let me change your first name to Ace?" His eyebrows shot up with elation._

_"Down, boy. No," she scolded playfully._

_"Awe. I guess I understand. Besides," he sighed. "I like being the only one to call you that." _

Her tears mixed with the water as emotions, built up from the day Logan walked into the bookstore, poured out of her like a waterfall. They crashed and sloshed around her belly, head, and fingers. Everything tickled. Everything ached.

Her heart was so full of love and longing that she nearly thought it would burst before she ever got the chance to walk down the aisle. Every second was counting down until she would see Logan, standing in some suit with all his buddies lined up. Her body almost couldn't bear it.

But she was getting pruney now and Kathy would not appreciate a wrinkly bride.

Rory swiped at the fogged up mirror, that tingling sensation still manifesting itself in her fingertips. Her face looked the same. Blue eyes bright, red lips still shaped perfectly. But see felt an entirely different person. Like all of it, all of life, had been culminating up to this day. All the shit she had endured was just testing her, getting her ready for pure happiness. Getting her ready for a life of love and content.

She got out of the bathroom still in her towels. One atop her head and one covering her body. Kathy stood in the living room with her supplies set up, a steaming cup of coffee waiting. She was poured over Rory's notes regarding what her makeup and hair was to look like today.

"Is that coffee for me?" Rory asked. Kathy flinched, the papers dropping to the floor. "Sorry."

"It's your wedding day, Rory, no need to apologise. Now, let's get you ready. Sit," Kathy ordered, pointing to the chair. Rory's smile wouldn't go away. It was _her wedding day. _"It's not long before you'll be married. And yes, that coffee is for you."

"Oh, thank God," she said gratefully. "Thanks for doing this for me, Kathy. It means the world."

"Let's just hope I make you beautiful."

"You will do. I have faith," Rory said sweetly, smiling a bright smile before downing her coffee.

"Well, you are very welcome. You've become like a sister to me since Jess and I moved here. It's the least I could do," Kathy said as she prepared all of her supplies. "Oh, and we'll save the lips for last so you can brush your teeth."

Kathy pointed at the coffee mug and Rory laughed embarrassedly. "Right, that would be bad. You may now kiss the bride whose breath smells like stale coffee."

Katherine giggled like a little girl as she got started on Rory's face. It took a lot longer than Rory had expected. Lorelai kept on coming in only to turn away again. Rory could hear her mother crying in the next room and couldn't suppress the smile that lingered on her lips.

From the looks of it, Rory was the last to get ready. Lorelai, Sooki, who had arrived not to long ago, and Kathy all had their bridesmaid dresses on.

Her hair didn't take as long, pinned into an extravagant braid with a few wisps of chocolate hair blowing across her forehead. It mixed well with her marriage makeup. Heavy eyes, faded pink lips, and rosy cheeks.

She slipped on her dress after all of her bridesmaids appeared. The ceremony was set up, the boys had arrived, and everything was coming together neatly.

They all watched her slide into her dress. The simple white thing fit her snugly and the blue flower, one cut from the bouquet from Logan, that fitted at the sashed waist made her eyes glow.

"I think you're ready, sweetheart," Lorelai whispered through her tears. She shakily went and got the note that Logan had said Rory could read once she was ready.

"Thanks, mom," Rory said unsteadily, her voice not wanting to escape. "And thank you to you guys. You all made today possible in more than one way. I'll keep this brief, but as this is the last time we'll all be together until the ceremony, until I'm married, for crying out loud, I just want to say a few words. Each one of you helped, in your own individual ways, my relationship with Logan. Honor, you kept him in line while he was away from me, shaping him and making sure he was a good man while he waited for the opportunity to sneak up on me again. Lane, you made sure I stuck with Logan whenever he'd do something stupid. I could always call you with a problem or a solution and you'd listen like only a best friend would.

"And my wonderful friend Paris, you, well, you've always been special to me. Logan and I worked with you on the paper at Yale and if you hadn't kicked me out, Logan and I never have moved into together and moving in with Logan was one of the greatest decisions I ever made. Katherine, you've been a stable ground for me since we met. Telling me all about what to expect with marriage and all that. Thank you for helping through all of this planning stuff. Sooki, thanks for being like a second mother to me all my life. I don't know where I would be without you."

Rory took a deep breath, tears already spilling down her face, and turned towards her mother. "And mom," she said, her voice wavering extremely. "You, you are the most amazing woman, nay, the most amazing person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Without you, I would not only be nonexistent, but I would not be who I am today. You sculpted me to be this woman who stands before you now in a wedding dress with a stable job and perfect man. We've had our fights, our falling outs, and our distance, but you have always and always will be my mother, my bestest friend in the whole wide universe. I don't know what I'd ever do without you, mom. Thank you so much for not getting rid of me. Thank you so much for loving me and for saving me time and time again. But most importantly, thank you for being my mother."

Lorelai was already strapped to Rory by the time she had finished. Everyone was wailing, their makeup running like their noses. Kathy ordered them all around to fix up their smudges when the tears had finally stopped rolling.

When the girls had left Rory to her own devices, she pulled out the letter from Logan:

_Rory,_

_I could fill this piece of paper with sarcasm and jokes, but I want to take a moment to be sincere. It's not often that I'm sincere, but I think that since you are the one marrying me, you deserve a little bit of my soft side. _

_I write this knowing that in less than five hours, I will be watching you walk down the aisle in a gorgeous dress that none of your wedding party has described to me in the slightest. You will stand in front of me, hold my hands, and tell me how much you love me. How much you adore me and this life we're about to live. _

_I have vows written, I promise, but there is one thing I excluded that I want to say right now._

_Your eyes, Rory, give me hope all day long. When we were apart, during my lost years, I would think about those blue orbs of light and they would fill me with strength to go on, knowing that if I could just make it through one more day, one more essay, one more book, I could see you again. I could see those beautiful eyes. _

_My favourite colour is your eyes. I can't really explain it, but they're like the sky that surrounds a burning sunset. Right in front of you, there's red and purple and orange. But if you look beyond the center of the storm, the sun itself, it's all surrounded by blue. A blue that reflects the ocean. A darkening sky waiting for the sun to slip behind the shore, waiting for its opportunity to reign over the world. You are the hidden beauty. The sky that I was nearly too blind to see. I will never be able to express my gratitude to whatever brought you to me, whatever opened my eyes enough to get the full picture. To get you. _

_Forget the sunset. Forget its classic, romantic beauty. Since you, I have always been searching for the outskirts of the burning sun. _

_My life didn't really begin until I met you. And as cheesy as it sounds, I will always be looking at the surroundings. In all things, I will examine the frame and not the picture. _

_Today, you will become mine forever. _

_You will be my surrounding sky, the only thing I see. _

_Your future husband,_

_Logan._

Beautiful. That was all she could think as she choked on tears and the knot in her throat.

Beautiful, wonderful, heartbreakingly fantastic. Damn the bastard and his superb writing skills.

"We're gonna be late, Rory," Paris called from kitchen.

Rory cleared her throat and dabbed at her eyes, "Coming, coming," she said as she hiked up her dress and stomped her way to the side door. Her heart thrummed like a hummingbird's wings.

The drive to the town square was full of speeches regarding Rory and Logan's relationship. How everyone "knew" that from the moment he entered the picture, they would get married. They then all laughed at the absurdity, but quieted at the hidden reality. Because the two people who were getting married in Stars Hollow had shaped each other much like Lorelai had shaped Rory. Without the other, who knows where they would have ended up.

Honor kept on telling Rory how she never imagined Logan would ever get married. Or at least not to anyone he actually liked.

Lane continuously said that she never expected Rory to marry after Logan left her and was happy beyond belief that Logan had showed up once more to fill her best friends life with long and satisfying days.

They got to the town square faster than Rory had hoped. It was happening now. Not that she had experienced cold feet (she could only imagine how freezing Logan's feet were), but she was stressing. Hoping, praying, that it would all work out. That there would be no hiccups.

She kept replaying Marshall and Lily's wedding in her head from How I Met Your Mother. Everything went wrong in their wedding. Everything. She prayed Dean wouldn't just show up like Scooter. And she was thankful she had decided against the vail.

All her fellow women got out of the limo first, leaving her to ponder a second before Lorelai appeared at the door, "Ready to go my sweet?" She asked, holding her hand out.

Rory took it gladly, feeling her sweaty hand slide in her mothers.

"Thank you," she said once she had gathered her remaining skirt from the limo.

"For what, kiddo?"

"For not telling me that I'm making a huge mistake. It means a lot."

Lorelai stared at her young daughter, who she supposed wasn't so young anymore. "Oh, right," she said, lightly chuckling. "Just wait until you hear my matron of honour speech."

"Mom," Rory scolded.

"I know, I know. Sorry. The truth is, I know you aren't making a mistake. Logan may have been on my bad side for years, but he makes you so happy. You are _so happy._ And he's been really good lately, he deserves my forgiveness."

Lorelai hugged her daughter tightly and Rory could feel the stress begin to melt away.

"Now let's go get you married!"

"Right behind you, ma," Rory and Lorelai skipped the way to the ceremony, stopping to drink in the sight.

It had been transformed. White and light blue flowers embellished everything. The gazebo was dressed in beautiful white. A few hundred chairs decorated the street for the guests and a white walkway spread along the street, reaching the gazebo in perfect length.

In a couple of hours, she would be standing in front of that exact gazebo and would exchange vows with Logan Huntzberger.

"It's beautiful, mom," Rory gasped.

"I didn't do it. It was your bridesmaids."

Rory turned to the girls she'd come to know as her best friends and took a turn hugging each, trying her best to not cry _again._

"Rory, Lorelai!" Luke's throaty voice called to the two Gilmore girls and they both turned their heads. He was walking with Christopher and GiGi, who was dressed up to match the bride as the flower girl.

The bride abandoned her friends to go see her two fathers and her sister who seemed to be growing each day.

"Ready to get married?" Christopher asked, a goofy grin matching his bright eyes.

"Depends if you two are ready to drag me down the aisle," she replied, matching her fathers smile.

"Well, we just came to collect you for Logan. It's time to see him," Luke said softly. The only other time Luke had looked so happy was when he married Lorelai, and that was six years ago.

Rory tried not to freak out as she nodded her head and got pulled away to meet her man. GiGi kept giggling and stealing glances at the terrified Rory, which calmed the soon-to-be-Huntzberger considerably. But all too soon they were at Luke's diner and she could see the back of Logan's head.

He was standing alone among the decorated chairs and tables for the lunch that would be occurring after the ceremony. Rory took a deep breath, turned to face her two fathers, and smiled.

"I'll see you guys in a second, okay?"

"Right," Christopher and Luke said at the same time. GiGi just giggled some more and followed her dad away.

Rory knew the minute she pushed the door, that bell would chime. What she didn't know was if Logan would immediately turn around or wait for a moment to see her.

She pushed open the door and froze. Logan stood with perfect posture, simply waiting for her to come up to him. While her nerves increased and her tears welled, she had to walk, tap his shoulder, and sit tight until he turned around.

His face, which had been concentrated for a moment, slipped. His mouth fell open and his eyes widened into saucers, a wetness forming around the rims.

"Hi, Logan," Rory said breathlessly, admiring his sleek, dark blue suit.

"Ace, you look…" his voice trailed off and she laughed sheepishly, turning her eyes down. "Breathtaking. Literally breathtaking. You have stolen my breath, Rory."

"You don't look so bad yourself."

He smirked before pulling her to him. Her head fitted at his shoulder and he stroked her bare back lightly.

It was happening. She was getting married to this man today.

"I can't wait until I can call you my wife," he said suddenly.

Rory simply laughed into his neck. "I know what you mean, Huntzberger."

"Did you get my note?" He asked, pulling away to look her in the eye.

She stared helplessly into his own. "I did, yeah. You get my present?" He grinned and pulled his hand to show her the ring she had gotten him from her trip to England a few months ago with her mother. It was gold and had the words _in omnia paratus _inscribed in perfect lettering.

"Makes me feel lousy for just getting you flowers."

"You're giving me your life. Willingly, I might add. This was just something I thought would be a good gift."

"It is definitely," he said, examining the ring closely. "Clever, too. Do you think without the Life and Death Brigade we'd ever have crossed paths again?" He asked.

"Maybe. But that's kind of the symbolism behind me getting you that inscription and not _Master and Commander._"

Logan chortled, probably remembering the same thing as Rory.

"I was lost before I could remember your name, Rory. I hope you know that."

"I know it, Logan," she said, feeling the need to somehow secure him in this area. She and him, it was a forever kind of thing. They both knew it, they just wondered if the other really understood it.

"Hey, before we have to go and actually get married, I have something for you."

Logan reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a box.

"You already proposed to me, Logan. It's kind of our wedding day," Rory said sardonically.

"Quit it with the sarcasm, lady. I'm trying to be sentimental."

"Right, okay, what is it?" She asked as he opened the box. Inside was a necklace. A blue diamond, the size of a pupil, inside of a worn silver chain. "Logan, what is this?"

"Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. All four in one trinket. How awesome is that?" He asked as he told her with his eyes to turn around. She complied and felt a spark of energy as his fingers graced her neck when he put the chain around her throat. "It's yours. Your mom wanted me to give it to you. It was Emily's."

At the sound of her grandmother's name and the touch of Logan's lips to her shoulder, Rory whimpered. It was mix of pleasure and pain that Logan recognized well. He turned her around and hugged once more.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she repeated into his ear.

"You're welcome, Ace. Now, let's go get some pictures taken so we can finally get this marriage thing over with. Sound good?"

"Sounds absolutely fantastic."

* * *

**A/N 2:** Yeah, how about them apples? Huh? Yeah? I feel I should clarify some stuff: Jess and Katherine (his fiance and baby mama from last chapter) have moved to Stars Hollow. Jess and Logan became really good friends and now Jess is one of the groomsmen. Honor is there (you know, Logan's sister) and is one of the bridesmaids. Luke _and _Christopher will be walking Rory down the aisle.

The song at the beginning is _Always_ by Panic!, of course. I couldn't really use "The Calendar" for this chapter because that song is about Ryan and Jon leaving the band. Although, I guess the whole idea behind that song is a new beginning. Ah, well. "Always" is a romantic song, check it out after you read this.

Hope you all liked it and I suppose I should say _TO BE CONTINUED..._

Yours truly,

(insert name here)


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** And here we are again! The next installment of But Only For You. This was one chapter that took a long time to write. A month to be exact. I wasn't sure how I was going to write it. It was a wedding, for crying out loud! When you've never been married and have only been to weddings, it's a little difficult to try and capture the emotions of the bride and groom. I hope I portrayed them well enough to be just slightly believable. Also, I've never had to write wedding vows, so those may suck as well. I tried to focus more on the feelings in this and not so much on the humour, so that's why there's not too many funny moments. I did put a few bits and bobs in there that'll hopefully make some people laugh.

There's a lot of music in this, as can be expected from a wedding, and I'll talk more about that in the second authors note if you want to read additional facts regarding why I chose specific songs and bands.

The chapter is also incredibly long. Nearly nine thousand words. Sorry if you don't like reading too many words. You can just skip around if you want.

I want to thank every single person that's read this story. I don't care if you don't review or anything, just the fact that you've taken time out of your precious lives to read a story _I_ wrote creates this whirlwind of emotions in my mind. So yes, thank you all. Without you, this would be nothing.

One more thing before I say that I own nothing here, I have debated whether or not the next chapter should be the last. It'll involve Rory and Logan away on their honeymoon, but I've been having conflicting thoughts on whether it should be the epilogue or just another chapter. My brain has come up with another idea for an epilogue, but it's completely **_up to all of you!_**if you would rather there be one final chapter or two more. Tell me, please! I'm horrible at making decisions.

Without further adieu, here it is. Please, above all else, enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the music spoken about or used in this story. That includes The Dave Matthews Band, Michael Jackson, Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, Jack's Mannequin, Hellogoodbye, The All-American Rejects, and Frightened Rabbit. I also own nothing concerning either book version or movie version of _Romancing the Stone_. _Invisible Monsters _is Chuck Palahnuik's alone. Gilmore Girls is not my property and neither are its characters. Woo, that was long!**

* * *

**The Way Her Tears Taste**

_Things have changed for me_

_And that's okay, I feel the same_

_I'm on my way, and I say_

_Things have changed for me_

_And that's okay._

Her hand absently snaked up her neck and touched the small trinket wrapped around her throat.

She stood with her wedding party surrounding her on all sides, chatting with each other before the time came to walk her down the aisle. Nerves were jumping around inside of her like frightened rabbits and she tried desperately to calm her breathing down. They were both ready for this, there's no doubt.

"She gave that to me the day you were born," Lorelai said as she stepped away from Luke and Christopher. She reached an arm across Rory's shoulder and pulled her into a side hug. Rory eyed her mother curiously as the elder woman tried to stop the tears that were steadily escaping from her icy blue eyes. "She wore it when she married Grandpa, you know?" Rory shook her head in response as she more consciously toyed with the necklace.

"I miss her, mom," Rory croaked. She coughed away the lump in her throat, squeezing her eyes shut when the pain shot through her. "She should be here with us, celebrating."

Lorelai held onto her daughter tightly, stroking her arm gently with the tips of her fingers. The Gilmore girls stood like that for a while, watching silently as the world before them transformed and unraveled. Music could be heard from outside Luke's diner from the ceremony. It washed over the mother/daughter pair in their melancholy state and made them heave with emotion.

Their sadness leaked out of their pores until Luke creeped up behind them. "You guys don't look happy."

Rory and her mother jumped dramatically, simultaneously clutching their chests and smacking Luke's arm.

"Okay, ow," Luke said, rubbing the hidden red marks behind his clothes.

"We're fine. Just missing Emily," Lorelai moved to her husband's aide, kissing his scruffy cheek.

Rory watched the intimate exchange of love unfolding before her. These people had danced around each other for years until finally giving in to the built up flirtation. It took them forever to decide that they were meant for each other, but Rory knew that they felt it long before they told everyone else.

The young woman couldn't help but wonder if she was doing the right thing. It moved so quickly from the moment Logan walked into the bookstore. Was it doomed to end like before? Was he destined to always love her more than she loved him?

She was staring out the diners windows at nothing, worrying as she felt her heart dropping further into her stomach. This was cold feet, Rory knew it. Although her body was far from cold. No, heat entwined its way through her veins and held her captive until something moved before her eyes.

She blinked away the fog that had appeared from her staring contest with the glass, but she wasn't seeing things. Logan's body was, in fact, in front of the diner. Rory frowned in confusion, watching his finger move to his mouth in a "shh" motion.

He just stood there, watching her; she just stood there, watching him.

They shouldn't be doing it. They were getting married in less than fifteen minutes. But it was almost as if a magnetic pull was bringing them together.

Without thinking, she stepped closer to the window. Her hand went up and touched the glass. It was cold beneath her touch, but she couldn't feel the cooled surface pinch her skin.

Okay, yeah, she was making the right decision. There was no doubt about it. They were Rory and Logan. They were…well, they were everything. Love and loss, death and life, heartbreak and romance.

Minutes, hours maybe, passed with them just staring at each other. Music, different from the rest, started up. As if it were calling him, he disappeared with a curt nod in her direction, the only thing left of him being the smirk dancing on his lips.

Did she imagine that? Was it God telling her, once again, how right they were for each other?

"Rory, darling, it's time!" Lorelai shrieked.

Her heart thudded against her ribs. She was choking on her nerves. She could have sworn she had fifteen minutes. Where had those fifteen minutes gone?

"Rory, come on, you've been staring at that window for ten minutes! It's wedding time!" Oh, that's where they went.

Rory turned around carefully, moving her dress along with her. The little heels in her shoes clipped against the floor as she made her way to Lorelai, Luke, and Christopher.

"Okay, before anything happens, I would like to say some words," Christopher's voice piped up and everyone turned to face Rory's father. He gulped, not prepared for the overwhelming amount of stares. Rory tugged on his arm, waiting for him to continue. "My daughter is getting married in less than five minutes. I'm going to have to walk her down the aisle and say goodbye to her.

"It's no lie that I was a big fan of Logan. It took time for me to warm up to him, but I think that maybe when you broke up with him, I missed him more than you."

Everyone giggled and Rory rested her head against Christopher's shoulder, closing her eyes and feeling the words vibrate through him. "He's a good man, Rory. You made the right choice. And I'm not saying that just because I know where he's taking you on your honeymoon," he paused, lifting Rory's head with his gentle fingertips and grasping her attention. "No, I'm saying that because when he looks at you, it's the same way Luke looks at your mother. Like there's no one else in the room. Like his heart beats only because yours does. And most importantly, like he can and will love you forever. You're entering a scary world right now, Rory. The world of shared bank accounts and shared last names, but whenever anyone looks at you two, they know that right in front of them is that strange little thing called love. True, honest, hardworking love that no one can dream of taking away. To the happy couple!" He shouted in an end to his speech, bringing his hands together in a clap.

Everyone joined in, excluding Rory whose hands were occupied wiping away the tears. Christopher wrapped Rory in a tight hug, whispering 'I love you' a few times before kissing her temple and letting her escape into the grasp of another friend.

When the women had finally stopped crying, it was time to leave. Rory's body buzzed. It buzzed with excitement, nerves, and wonder.

Everything was new. She was to walk out of this experience a changed woman, a breath of fresh air to the world. Her head filled with snapshots of the past ten years. Meeting Logan, following him around during the Life and Death Brigade gathering, months of flirting, finally kissing him, finally getting him, losing him . . . finding him.

"GiGi, get over here!" Christopher called to his other daughter. He grabbed her by the waist and began whispering things in her ear. The little girl giggled in Rory's direction and Rory was overwhelmed with an image of when she was a flower girl for a wedding when she was roughly the same age. Lorelai had pulled her aside and told her, much the same way Christopher was doing with GiGi, what she was to do. Walk down the aisle with flower petals, throw them to the right and then the left, go find me afterwards.

In the blink of an eye, GiGi went away, probably to procure the wonderful and exciting basket of petals.

Rory was frozen in place, just watching everyone else prepare themselves. Some smoothed their hands down their clothes, other fiddled with their hair, and a few stared at themselves in various objects in Luke's diner, fixing whatever problem they had physically.

A ring was heard above all the ruckus. Whipping her head around, Rory saw GiGi escape out the door and follow the white pathway of silk to the rows of chairs.

Breath caught in Rory's throat as she saw her bridesmaids, flowers in tight grasps, line up in front of the diner door. They all breathed in synchronisation, lifting their heads and shaking out their hair.

Paris was in front, followed by Lane, Honor, Suki, and Kathy. Her mother stood in the back, but her eyes were trained on her shaking daughter.

Lorelai mouthed something to her. She did it over and over again until Rory caught wind of what she was saying: "You are ready."

And she was ready, she was ready and had been for what felt like years.

Christopher and Luke were suddenly by her sides and she felt them each take one of her arms in theirs. They both looked at her oddly.

"What?" She asked frowning. Their eyes smiled and she couldn't help the girlish giggle that breathlessly escaped her lungs.

"Oh, because you can't have a bouquet, your mother wanted us to put this in your hair," Luke said while simultaneously, and singlehandedly, pulling something out of a box on the countertop. He allowed his bulky fingers to delicately pick it up and it was revealed to be a shiny black comb with a pink flower on one of its corners.

"This was also Emily's. I know it's not blue or white, but we couldn't exactly change the colour of it," Christopher said as he took ahold of the object and began to slide it in his daughter's hair.

Rory silently squeezed their arms. "I love you both," she said quietly. The men either side of her laughed and looked at each other, not minding in the least that they were sharing her on this momentous occasion.

It was all together, finally. There were no more loose ends.

Rory, almost impatiently, well, very impatiently, dragged her two fathers behind Lorelai. The older woman swiveled her head around to stare at the threesome and smiled a glorious and proud smile.

"Well don't you guys look handsome. Remember to actually let her go when you get to Logan. This ain't a game of tug-of-war between the two fathers of this wonderful girl," she waggled her bouquet in front of Christopher and Luke. They looked rather scared. Rory just laughed at her mother.

"Hey mom," Rory called, itching for more moments alone with her mother. Lorelai looked at Rory, a caring smile on her lips.

"What is it darling?" She asked patiently.

"Who's playing the piano?" Rory questioned turning her head towards the door. Music flowed through gloriously, the piano keys being pressed down by someone who clearly knew what they were doing. The thing is, Rory didn't remember asking for a pianist.

"Well, would you believe it's Kirk." Rory gasped at her mother's words. "I know, I know. He insisted, so we thought we'd let him."

"But," Rory spluttered ungracefully, "he's good." She coughed out surprised.

"It's weird, isn't it?" Lorelai giggled. "He started up to get chicks a few years ago."

"What?" Rory asked just as the jingle of the doorbell filled the near-silent room and Paris was seen stepping out into the wild unknown. Rory's heart sped up dramatically. It thumped against her rips and she felt Christopher and Luke pull her forward.

Lorelai looked back as they continued walking, obviously wanting to finish the conversation. "Yeah, the weird thing," she said quietly, nearly tripping on Kathy's dress trying to crane her neck, "is it actually works." Lorelai turned back around, slight disgust and full bewilderment in her tone.

Rory flinched away the horrible images that bombarded her mind. "Gee, thanks mom," she whisper shouted. "My last conversation as a free woman and it ends with that horrid picture!"

"You're the one that asked me," Lorelai said as a final remark before stepping outside the diner behind everyone else.

"Ready kid?" Luke and Christopher asked at the same time. She could've laughed if she weren't so freakishly nervous. She felt like her stomach was trying to eat its way up her throat.

Instead of saying anything, she shakily nodded her head and braced herself for the next few bound-to-be wobbly steps.

Rory tried to clear her mind of any bad thoughts as the springtime air hit her skin in a wave. _Think of Logan,_ she thought to herself, but that only made her want to vomit more so she scrapped that and attempted to rid all things from her overactive head.

It didn't work too well, especially when the scenery changed before them into the wonderfully setup town square. She shook almost violently in the grip of Christopher and Luke and she could feel their elbows tighten around her arms to help calm her.

Kirk switched up the music as soon as Paris stepped on the hidden cobblestone pathway. Despite Rory's humming mind, she could still catch the elaborated and heavy tune. _The End of All Things,_ she thought with a smile.

Everyone had stopped moving in front of her and each of her bridesmaids waited a few seconds before continuing on to the gazebo. Rory saw their heads, each glowing a different colour, as they descended the walkway. The swing in their step made Rory smile even wider. This may be her day, but at least she was sharing it with people she loved. She could only imagine what would have happened had Logan allowed his parents to plan this thing.

Without even blinking, Rory realised she was the last woman standing. Lorelai had taken off, looking over her shoulder only once before shaking her little body down to the others on the right side of the gazebo.

Rory knew she could do it. Her heart and her mind and her everything was telling her so, but it didn't stop her feet from staying firmly planted in the cobblestone.

"It's our time to go, Rory," Luke whispered calmly. And, with the birds singing in the trees, the warm sun beating delicately down, and the soft sound of Panic! at the Disco's piano-themed song tumbling over her, Lorelai Leigh "Rory" Gilmore took the first steps towards her new life with confidence, surety, and exhilaration.

She only tripped once.

O-O-O

His hands were warm she noticed idly as Archie Skinner went on and on about being gathered here today. Her boy was staring at her guiltlessly, a gentle and completely baffled smile on his face. Like he couldn't believe he was here.

Rory sank into his heated gaze and would've been swallowed up by the ground had Reverend Skinner not interrupted their private world by announcing that Rory and Logan had chosen to write their own vows.

She looked around and saw Jess smiling at her approvingly as if he was just telling her now, after months of her and Logan being together, that he was a-okay with Rory marrying him. She fought against the urge to stick out her tongue.

It'd taken her a little while to write the words. She went through countless amounts of paper and even scribbled all through the book Mrs. Huntzberger had given her as an engagement gift. It wasn't until Lorelai sat Rory down to tell her that, yes it's scary having to write all your feelings onto a piece of paper, but remember that this guy knows you better than anyone and will understand how much you love him if you use only the smallest words.

She had gotten to work right away after that and finished in less than two hours. Her hand ached and her tears fell, but she had them done. And she thought they were pretty kick ass. _Must remember,_ Rory thought as Logan looked at her dreamily, _to not say kick ass in front of everybody._

"Logan, you may go first," said the Reverend. Logan's hands shook a little in Rory's, but he smiled all the same. She knew, though, that she was the only one who caught his sharp intake of breath.

_No turning back now, Huntzberger,_ she thought, lifting an eyebrow and waiting. Her ribs were being beat upon incessantly, but no one else needed to know that.

"Are you ready, Logan?" Archie asked. Logan didn't look at him, he just continued to dizzily stare at Rory.

He nodded finally and opened his mouth. "Rory," he began without a trace of hesitation, "Ace," he corrected. Rory giggled and wished she had a hand free to cover her mouth. His grin widened as he picked up again, "When I met you, I was immediately infatuated. At least I thought it was infatuation. There was definitely something different about you. You challenged me, made me work hard for your affection. Nothing seemed to work on you, you constantly rebuffed me and it confused me greatly. How could Logan Huntzberger not get the girl?

"And then I realised what it was about you that constantly drew my thoughts away from anything and everything. You, for some unknown reason, were making me fall for you. I didn't like it at first, I was stupidly angry at you for doing such a thing to me, for making me become something I was so adamant to run away from. But it's true, you called me away from my bachelor ways and made me want to be different, made me want to try with you. Of course, I smoothly made it seem like your idea at the time, but looking back I was just waiting for you to tell me you were fed up with the way we were handling our relationship so I could jump in and ask you to be my girlfriend. I would've been devastated had you said no." He took a breath and squeezed Rory's hands, sliding his thumbs against the backs of her hand, almost making Rory forget that they weren't alone in the slightest.

"Now here we stand, in the place that raised you, surrounded by people who I don't even know but who I do know care more about us than I ever could have thought strangers were capable of. We definitely have had our ups and downs. Seven years apart and stuff like that, but those things aren't our focus today. Our focus this day is love, our love. And it's true, you are the first and only girl I have ever truly loved. Letting you go was the hardest thing I never actually managed to do, I selfishly held on to you for however many minutes we weren't physically a part of each others lives. Finding you again, being able to love you again, well, it made me whole. It squashed the years of hurt and pain down the drain and filled me with such security and hope that I wanted to explode with adoration for you, for our relationship. You have constantly been changing me, Ace, making me do weird things, like proposing and things like that. Because before you, marriage was just a slip of paper and a ring to me, but then you came along and suddenly I could imagine myself watching you walk down the aisle to greet me. Much like you just did. And now I'm crying," he said, releasing Rory's right hand and reaching up to wipe his eye. Rory beat him to it, though, swiping underneath his eye and caressing his cheek with the liquid for a moment before allowing him to continue.

"Ace, I promise to love you forever. Don't listen to Frightened Rabbit when they say my promise is flawed, because it's not. You make my heart race constantly: The simple thought of you hurts my ribs with its continuous pounding. I couldn't imagine a life without you from the moment I met you and now I truly will never ever let you go. Never. I will care for you until the end of time, I will be in love with you until my heart beats no more and still afterwards. It'll be difficult sometimes, yeah, but forever, Rory, is our thing and I don't ever plan on forgetting that."

Rory's breath swooshed out of her lungs and for a moment she was surprised she hadn't passed out listening to Logan because she hadn't breathed in the slightest since he began talking. He was done, she knew, but she didn't know what to say next. She wasn't even sure she could remember her vows. They suddenly seemed too plain and insignificant next to his. Plus, he wrote her that horribly romantic note about her eyes.

_God, Logan, always stealing the show. _Rory thought as she tried to recall what she had written down.

"Well," Skinner's voice cracked at the word and the couple in front of him stared, seeing a small tear trickle down his face. He wiped it away quick, coughing gently into his hands and looking up at the congregation. "That was beautiful, I think we can all agree." There were whoops of encouragement and Rory couldn't help but laugh ungracefully out loud.

"Okay, Rory," Reverend Skinner said, nodding his head in her direction, giving her permission to speak.

_Right, go, Rory!_

She twisted her head to the audience. Everyone was looking at her. Carefully, she turned back to Logan. His eyes, those golden-y hazel things so jam packed full of love and adoration, gave her the push she needed to remember her words.

"Logan Huntzberger," she began, smiling sideways at him. "I don't know how I'll top you, but I guess that's not really what I'm trying to do, is it? I'm trying to tell you how much I love you and how hard we're going to work to make this thing last forever and a day. Let me start with a quote from Chuck Palahnuik. Mr. Palahnuik wrote in his novel _Invisible Monsters_, 'Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I've ever known.' What I gather from that is people shape each other constantly, influencing everyday aspects of everyday lives and then delving deeper by modifying the heart and personality. That sounds overly complicated, but what it means is every single day I surround myself with you, you're changing me, transforming me. Palahnuik implied that it's not always for the better, but Logan, you are always going to be changing me for the better. I am a better person with you.

"It took me a long time to figure out what to write here and it reminded me of when you went off to England. 'Say hi to William and Harry for me' I said. You stared at me desperately, begging me with your eyes to make you stay, and whispered painfully that you loved me. So I'm not going to delve into philosophy here, we have an entire lifetime of anniversaries and parties for that, I'm just going to tell you right now that I love you. I love you, and I will always love you. Forever, as you said, is our thing. We're Rory and Logan. Or Rogan as Paris once called us, but we're to never speak of that again."

Rory took a deep breath and braved herself for the cheesiness of her final words. "Now, Master and Commander," she breathed out. "Tell me that wasn't fun."

O-O-O

He had kissed her like he had the first time, with an air of uncertainty surrounding his warm lips. Like he didn't know how to kiss someone who everyone was calling his wife. She didn't mind, though. It was official, written on legal-binding paper. They were a married couple. She was Rory Huntzberger-Gilmore now and forever. The thought made her heart leap into her throat.

"You ready to present yourself as one half of a married couple, Ace?" Logan's voice startled Rory out of her daydream and she blinked repeatedly before nodding her head. His smile refused to leave his beautiful face.

"Is it time to dance already?" She questioned, staring at the tawny eyes in front of her.

He chuckled and placed his forehead on hers, their noses touching ever so slightly. Rory wanted to forego dancing and jump right into the sack with Logan, but she stood up when he pulled all the same.

Rory groaned as they tiptoed across the diner floor to reach the square where music pumped through speakers, the crowd awaiting the couple.

"Is the ring supposed to be this uncomfortable?" He asked, twisting it around with his thumb and pinky.

Rory bit back a laugh and tried to think about when he had first slipped on her engagement ring.

"Yeah, pretty much. You get used to it, though," she assured him.

Logan's hand felt good in hers and she bit back a sigh when he squeezed it as they approached people. Logan tapped Christopher on the shoulder to announce their presence and he stumbled over to the microphone.

"Ladies and gentleman, for the first time ever as man and wife, please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Logan Huntzberger!" He lifted his empty champagne glass and Rory understood where the unsteady footsteps came from. Everyone joined in his cheer, clapping hands to their forearms and raising their flutes.

Rory's cheeks flared with a blush for unknown reasons as she found herself walking with Logan, their hands clasped together, to the dance floor.

He stopped them in the middle of the square that had been put out for the dance and grabbed her back with one hand and continued holding onto her hand with the other.

His head moved towards her and she felt his hot breath sliver down her spine like a snake and pool deep within her belly as he whispered in her ear, "Ready to hear what I picked for our first song?"

Rory shook away the unclean thoughts that coiled around her mind and nodded her head lightly, feeling Logan's hair move against her temple.

In the silence that followed waiting for the music to start up, they became the only people on earth. The wind picked up around them, swirling Rory's dress around the smooth floor and ruffling Logan's incredibly loose curls.

They were perfection in its glory, two missing puzzle pieces the world needed.

And then the soft sounds of music drifted through the speakers. Rory closed her eyes momentarily until a voice started up,

_"Wanna pack your bags, something small. Take what you need and we disappear. Without a trace, we'll be gone, gone. The moon and the stars will follow the car. And then when we get to the ocean, we're gonna take a boat to the end of the world. All the way to the end of the world._

_ Oh, and when the kids are old enough, we're gonna teach them to fly. _

_You and me together, we could do anything…baby. You and me together, yes, yes. You and me together, we could do anything…baby. You and me together, yes, yes."_

"You and Me," Rory breathed into Logan's ear. She delighted in the shiver her voice sent through his body. He began swaying with her then, tightly holding to her back and moving her around the floor, the click of her heels drowning behind the smooth voice of Dave Matthews.

"Your vows," he said suddenly, his voice hitching a bit at the last word. Rory disconnected their heads and stared at him quizzically, enticing him to continue. He just stared blankly at her.

"What about them?" She asked carefully, slowly, waiting for something, anything to come out of his mouth. Did he like them? Hate them? Was it too short? His were long. Very long. It's possible he wasn't pleased with her words.

He blinked like he had been somewhere else for a moment. Looking at her once more, he smirked casually. "Master and Commander. I didn't think I'd ever get you to call me that," Rory laughed and placed her head on his shoulder out of relief. "Well," he continued thoughtfully, "outside of that one time in the bedroom not too long ago."

Rory's face blew up with a red heat, her thoughts going back to that moment of pure bliss where, in the midst of passion, her tongue twisted and uttered those words. She thought he hadn't heard.

"Oh yeah," his face was full of smugness as if he could read her thoughts. "I heard it. Loud and clear." He dipped his head back and whispered to the sky, "Oh, god, Master and Commander!"

He winced when Rory's hand released his shoulder and tapped the side of his head. Her cheeks dusted deep scarlet and she saw that he wasn't smiling at her, but rather smiling to himself.

"You're an ass," she whispered through his suit. He scraped his fingertips against the skin of her neck erotically.

"And don't you just love it," he murmured against her hair.

"Yeah, yeah," she lifted her head and felt a warmth spread through her when Logan placed a light kiss to her forehead.

"I loved them, by the way," Logan mumbled stoically. "Your vows."

"Yours were okay too," Rory replied sarcastically.

"Mm, but I seriously loved yours. You love me, don't you?" He asked. It was a real question, too. His voice lifted like he half knew and half didn't. He sounded desperate.

The song was coming to an end and he held tight to Rory, his breathing shallow. He needed an answer but Rory was too baffled by his question to answer.

Finally, just as the song was about to end, she came up with a reply. "Yes, Logan. I love you. And I have for God knows how long and I will for God knows how long. You and me, Logan. Always."

Someone cleared their throat behind the pair, "Can I steal this dance?" Mitchum Huntzberger's voice creeped through the beginning of the next song.

Rory turned toward him and let go of her husband to face her new father-in-law. _Her husband!_ Mitchum looked older, as can be expected when nearly ten years had passed. His crows feet spread down his cheeks and he seemed to be one of those men who just didn't have smile wrinkles cornering his mouth.

"O-of course," Rory stuttered stepping to the older man.

"I'm gonna go find Lorelai," Logan said quietly, grabbing Rory's face in his hands and kissing her rather spontaneously.

The girl's lips were released and she fumbled to find anything to say other than a squeaky "Oh!"

Mitchum grabbed Rory's waist, keeping his hold light against the fabric of her dress. Rory placed both of her hands cautiously on his shoulders being careful not to accidentally dig her nails into his fine suit coat.

"Lovely ceremony," Mitchum said as "I For You" by The All-American Rejects started up. Goosebumps shadowed down her arms at the sound of his dark voice.

"Was it?" She asked incredulously, tilting her head slightly to the right.

He captured her gaze and Rory couldn't help but see the physical similarities between this man and Logan. If you stripped away the years from his skin and his bones, Rory believed he would look just like the man who was currently swinging Lorelai round the floor. There was an underlying handsomeness to his face, something that caught Rory off guard.

"Mm, indeed," he concurred with a small bow of his head.

There was no more speaking for a little while, the chorus rushing about the pair in its beauty.

"He loves you," Mr. Huntzberger said and Rory almost asked him to repeat it, but he continued before she could open her mouth. "It's true, for a long time I thought you were just some project Logan would soon get bored of, but when you broke his heart I saw how much he cared. And then when he quit his job to become a teacher I recognised the spark in you that he found so intriguing had transferred to him. You changed him like you said he changed you." Mitchum may have spit the word teacher like it was poison on his tongue, but the rest sounded sincere. Although he was a living breathing journalist, so what did she know?

"Thank you, Mr. Huntzberger," Rory's quiet voice hung in the spring air as the song ended, swallowing the connection between father-in-law and daughter-in-law.

"Right, well, I must find my wife and give her a few swings on the floor," Mitchum said, releasing Rory's waist and stepping away from her. He nodded his head as if to say "Yes, that was all true."

Logan walked up behind her and tapped her shoulder. She could see him out of the corner of her eye as he approached and feigned surprise when his touch reached her, but the warm tingling sensation from his fingertip felt real enough.

"What did he say?" Logan asked, his lips in a hard line.

Rory slid her hand against his cheek, dusting her thumb across his cheekbone. "That he was proud of you." She said, sure of herself. He may not have used so many words, but she could hear the call in his breath.

"Rory Gilmore!" An Australian accent slammed into Rory as a wibbly wobbly Finn approached with Collin not too far behind.

"It's Huntzberger-Gilmore to you, thank you very much," Rory said, a gallant glint to her voice.

Finn came up to her and suddenly her feet were no longer on the ground.

Rory gulped loudly and stared after Logan longingly as she was being pulled away just as "The Way You Make Me Feel" choked through the speakers.

"You put this on there, Logan! This is your fault! You know Finn can't resist Michael!" Rory called from her place in front of a drunken Finn. He laughed at her and swung towards her, grabbing her hands tightly and shimmying her along to the chilling music.

"I love you honey!" Was all the response she got.

After just staring at the Aussie for a few seconds, she decided she might as well join in with his ludicrous dancing. Before long, most people had made there way to the floor and were twirling obscurely along with Finn and the bride.

Rory forgot for a moment that her grandparents weren't here. Or that maybe Mitchum Huntzberger wouldn't be much a part of her and Logan's lives. She erased any images of kissing Dean, of him breaking her heart. She thought only of how elated she was at this moment, how genuinely happy she was.

All because of Logan Huntzberger.

O-O-O

"You know, I think I've danced with just about every single person here. Women included," Rory said as she swayed along to "Baby It's Fact" by Hellogoodbye with Logan gripping her waist. It felt right for him to holding her like this, like he was hers.

It was true, though. She had danced with just about everybody, from Jess to Lorelai, Zach to Michele, both her fathers, Suki to Kirk. It was the last one that weirded her out the most. But damn, he played piano just too well for his own good.

She must admit that dancing with the women had been nice, save for the beginning when she didn't know who was to be the man, but once everyone got sorted out, it was fun to be swung around the dance floor by a woman.

"It's almost over. Two more songs after this," he assured her looking down at her overtired feet. "Those heels do look very nice on you, though. It'll be sad to see them never get used again."

"Yeah, well, you married the woman who hates high heels, so that one's on you buddy," she sighed sinking her fingers into his hair.

"Don't do that," he mumbled. Rory immediately pulled her hand away.

"Sorry," she said quickly.

Logan laughed, a throaty and sincere noise. "No, I meant, well, I meant…" he trailed off into nothingness.

"What?" Rory asked curiously.

"It's kind of, you know-" he broke, a blush spreading across his soft cheeks.

"No, I don't. Come, come Logan. What's the matter with me running my thin fingers through your luscious locks?" Rory asked slyly, her breath ghosting over Logan's ear.

"It kind of turns me on. And we don't have time for a boner right now."

Rory stopped moving only to be jerked around a bit when Logan moved to the side. "Your ability to speak about sex so casually disturbs me."

"You're the one who married a former sex crazed genius. Don't blame me for that," Logan mimicked, poking her nose.

They sucked in a breath simultaneously.

"We're married," said Rory, almost baffled at the thought, the absurd idea.

Logan smoothed a circle around Rory's side and she mock-whined as a ripple of want spread through her entire body. She looked up to see Logan's wide grin of pleasure and accomplishment. "Do you remember," he began as the song changed to something from Jack's Mannequin, "when we went to the Connecticut River after we told Mitchum and my mother about the engagement?" He asked looking down at Rory. She nodded her head in confirmation, urging him to go on. "Right, well they had been getting at us all day about planning and I had just told them that I wanted them to do nothing about it. We would be planning it, just you and me. It got us both worked up pretty good so we went to the river to relax. We sat down at around 5:00 in the evening on one of the benches that overlooks the water, letting the sun soak through our skin. The scent of crisp winter floated through our nostrils. That was when I knew "You and Me" would be our first song." He admitted finally, brushing his lips atop her head.

He had paused so much during the story that when he had finished, the final song had come on. Rory could tell what it was from the minute the "La do da da's" started up.

Logan pulled her off the floor and for a moment Rory was confused until the entire wedding party, elderly included, stepped onto the dance floor. They all appeared jumbled, but something told Rory this was an organised chaos.

She looked at Logan and saw the twinkle of deceit in his eyes.

"You got a flashmob for me?" She asked, kinking an eyebrow and crossing her arms, not bothering to watch the people jiggle in synch.

"I made you a flashmob," he corrected cockily, rubbing his hands together as if he had just pulled off the greatest plan in history.

Clapping began in the crowd and they all jumped along to the unavoidably catchy beat.

_When Rome's in ruins, we are the lions, free of the coliseum. _

_In poisoned places, we are anti venom, _

_we're the beginning of the end…_

_We are wild, we are like young volcanoes. _

_We are wild, Americana exotica, do you wanna feel a little beautiful baby, yeah!_

Rory couldn't help but dance with Logan even if no one else would consider what they were doing dancing. It was really just them throwing their limbs out like hooligans. But it was them, they _were_ just a bunch of hooligans.

_Oh, come on, make it easy! Say I never mattered, run it up the flagpole._

_We will teach you...how to make boys next door out of assholes._

_We are wild, we are like young volcanoes._

_We are wild, Americana exotica, do you wanna feel a little beautiful baby, yeah!_

The party all moved along to Fall Out Boy's dance number, sweating and beating the ground with their feet like they all had some personal vendetta against it. They released all their pent up anger and frustration at the world, letting the songs lyrics and powerful rhythm wash their cares away.

Rory held onto Logan whose face was more smile than anything as he waltzed with her. Their bodies were electric and each touch, each new press of a finger, a forehead, lips, sent a new shockwave down the fine hairs of their backs. Sweat lingered everywhere, but they smelled so sweet.

The song died out eventually and the people stopped dancing, but no one stopped laughing. No one stopped their fit of friendliness to feed an old war.

When the mass of people stopped thrumming with energy and painful puffs of breath, Lorelai coughed into a microphone beside Rory and Logan. The loud feedback squealed in everyone's ears and they all took a moment to glare at Lorelai before she began to speak.

"I was asked to do this at the end and I believe that now, since we've all eaten and danced our asses off-" she cupped her hand over her mouth and swore again only no one could quite catch the word. "Whoa, sorry there. To all the kids in here, do not repeat what Ms. Lorelai just said." Everyone but the children laughed.

Logan held tight to Rory's side and she had to tell her breath to calm down, knowing it wasn't just the dancing that had her worked up.

She hadn't had sex in God knows how long.

_Four weeks, three days, fifteen hours, and 34 minutes._

She wanted it now. It didn't help that Logan was teasingly nipping at her hip every now and again. She stared at him accusingly, but he just kept on smirking.

The young bride tried to stop thinking about Logan's warm body all over hers in an effort to actually hear her mother's speech.

"Well, as I was saying, it's the end. And I'm going to keep this long and sweet. Like, disgustingly sweet. Honey, call the ambulance because I'm going into a diabetic coma kind of sweet. No offense to you, Mr. Jules," she said pointing a finger to the newest town diabetic. He tipped his top hat and flashed a smile. "Ahem, well, for those of you who don't know - I'm looking at Logan's guests by the way, well, excluding Collin and Finn, yeah, I remember that first meeting - I am Rory's mother and also her matron of honour. Why I'm not her _maid _of honour, I don't know…" Lorelai trailed off and Rory tugged on her mother's arm.

"Matron of honour because you're married, smarty pants," Rory hissed softly.

"Oh, well, my daughter has corrected me. I'm married therefore I am matron. Oh, I get it now!" Lorelai exclaimed. Rory swung her head low but couldn't fight the smile that threatened to split her face. "Ehem, I fear I've gotten far off the beaten track here. Let me get my thoughts together."

Lorelai paused momentarily and very dramatically threw the back of her free hand against her forehead and bent backwards every so slightly as if she were seconds away from either being swept off her feet or passing out.

A feeling of purity resonated in Rory's chest and she clung tight to the man by her side, wishing they could be alone for just one moment, but also not wanting to leave this place behind. She had missed Stars Hollow badly while she'd been away.

Something nudged against her ear and she felt a slight nip at her cartilage.

"Ow," she hissed, but even she couldn't get rid of the arousal that stretched from the bite mark. She spied Logan, but his face was turned towards Lorelai who had finally gathered herself. Rory just barely caught sight of the pleased pull of his lips.

"Okay, I'm back. As I was saying, I'm Rory's mother. I can stand up here for hours and tell you embarrassing stories about her. Like the time she accidentally picked up the book version _Romancing the Stone_ at age twelve not knowing the author had significantly eroticised it. She came running to me, telling me that this author was vulgar and obscene. Later that night I caught her reading it, so I guess it wasn't that bad." Lorelai winked at Rory and the bride felt a stone drop in her stomach.

"You're gonna set me on fire if you keep talking, mom! And I only kept reading because the love story was very captivating." Rory hollered animatedly, humiliation roping around her heart.

"Oh, I'm just teasing, babe. You're married now, there should be no secrets. I don't think Logan minds that you read erotic novels from time to time. Anyway! Embarrassing stories aside, mainly because I don't want my daughter to punch me on her wedding day, I want to talk about love. Yes, how surprising. A wedding toast with love as the main theme. But this is a story, a story of love. Much like the stories that 'captivated' my daughter as a child." Lorelai inhaled a sharp breath and whistled it out, preparing herself for her next words. Rory stood still, waiting.

"Rory's dated only four men in her life. Some may look at those numbers, well, number, and call her a prude, but I see someone who doesn't trust easily, who treasures her heart above most other things. I've never known what it was that caused her to be like that. Maybe it was me because I had such a bad experience as a teenager with love and loss or maybe she was just too darn wise. But whatever it was, she found it extremely difficult to fall for someone. Out of those four guys, I despised three of them. One was clearly gay, the other was considered a bad boy, and the last was a rich snob with no measurement of human emotion. Sorry, Logan, but that was kind of what you were when you met Rory.

"My daughter tried so hard to make me like you, but it took a long time for me to even _begin_ to thaw the ice. And when she refused your proposal, all I felt toward you was pity. Pity that you had lost my daughter. And then her life fell apart, she slid down some mud slide like Michael Douglass and Kathleen Turner only she didn't have a handsome, strapping lad to hold on to her as she slipped.

"Then she phoned me one day sounding happy. _Happy!_ I hadn't heard my daughter's happy voice in years, so many long years. She told me cautiously that Logan Huntzberger had reentered her life. That he had begun to steadily pick up the pieces of her torn mind. I knew that included mending the part of her that felt the loss of me. I had abandoned her and Logan was there sort of in my place, making her well. When I hung up the phone, uncertainty in my voice after telling her how pleased I was, something nagged at my heart. Something was telling me that I was actually pleased Logan had returned. He'd come back and started to repair her.

"That's when it hit me: I had never really disliked Logan. It was the money that I despised and the way he flaunted it in the beginning, but he quickly put it away once he and Rory became official. No, I didn't hate him at all. I thought back to all these different times Rory had either told me about or I had witnessed where Logan was her knight in shining armour. When Dean left you at the party, he was the one telling you it was all going to be okay, or whenever we had a blowout and Logan would kiss you and tell you to wait until morning to try and mend us. He convinced you to try new things, like jumping off a building and traveling and jealousy. It took me years, so many years, to figure out that it wasn't him who broke your heart when you were together, but rather it was when he was gone that tore you apart. And only when he returned did you begin to get better," Lorelai stopped speaking once more and turned to face the newly married couple. Rory's heart was beating a thousand times a second and her eyes were so swelled with tears she could barely see her glorious mother standing in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Logan, so so sorry that it took this long to realise that you are what makes my daughter better. You're her rock, an unmovable force that protects her day in and day out. And I could not be happier that you came back and that she finally gave you the answer we'd all been secretly wanting her to give."

Lorelai stepped forward and pulled Rory and Logan into a wide hug. The microphone brushed against Rory's dress and slight feedback sang through the speakers, but no one minded.

Tears shed for the unknownth time that day as a slight breeze washed through the town. Hands moved to rub away goosebumps and those who felt comfortable enough huddled together in a large mass.

But warmth surrounded the three people touching at the edge of the floor. Love squeezed them, coating them in a blanket of some undisclosed fabric.

"I love you, mom," Rory hummed into Lorelai's ear as she squeezed her mother tight while keeping a hand still wrapped around Logan.

"I know, sweetheart," Lorelai replied.

"Modesty suits you," Rory laughed out as they separated themselves, still oblivious to the dark hanging clouds that had spread along the sky and sun. The Gilmore girls and their blue eyes still shone with something unbreakable, as if there were a spotlight shining directly on them and excluding every one else.

"I'm gonna go talk to Jess about cleaning this stuff up. Looks like it might rain," Logan whispered, kissing the heads of both women before him.

Lorelai and Rory stood together, laughing and speaking about nothing in particular, reminiscing about the past and looking far into the future.

"Every mother says this on their daughter's wedding day, but you are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen. And I was pretty damn hot at my wedding," Lorelai said as she held onto her daughter, both of them watching the wedding collapse at the hands of those who put it together.

Rory thought it looked like Victor Frankenstein when he vowed revenge against his monster. Destroying your creation.

"I don't want it to be taken down," sadness wound around Rory's words and Lorelai rubbed vigorously at the girl's arm.

"It'll be here still, even if just in your mind," the wise woman tapped Rory's temple before giving it a long kiss.

Rory searched for a head of blonde in the heap of people and spotted him gathering flowers. He looked so handsome and peaceful, like he belonged here tearing apart flower arrangements. He was laughing with Jess about something that would always be unheard to Rory.

The day seemed to pass by like a blur, but she realised how tired she suddenly felt. Leaning against her mother and thinking mindlessly about all the places Logan could be taking her on their long awaited honeymoon, Rory absently watched her husband gather petals from a flower and blow them in her direction. He winked at her and immediately turned his attention back to Jess's moving mouth.

She was drowning in an ocean of him, but instead of thrashing around, desperate to escape, she was sinking into his crashing waves. She was losing all sense of that made up thing "control". All she could hear running through her mind was a repeated line. It went round and round her thoughts, slinking through her brain like string through swiss cheese. It knew what it was talking about too, that voice. The words, they were his from years ago, but only now did they seem more important than ever. Because if she really thought about it, Logan captured her with this exact formation of syllables and vowels currently looping in her ears.

They called to her now like a spell, drawing her away from where she was and enveloping her in memory:

_A once in a lifetime experience! _She had yelled, breath struggling to enter her lungs.

He had squeezed her hand tight and laughed.

She had never been sure if it was the jump or the illustrious sound of his chuckle that caused her stomach to flip, but he had replied with frightened courage and it made her ache with want. It made her yearn for his lips.

_Only if you want it to be._

And she felt it as she stared at him now, Lorelai still yapping away. _In Omnia Paratus. _She was ready for anything.

* * *

**A/N 2:** Ahh! The cliched-ness of it all! Well, there you go. It was a wedding, I think. Written okay-like from someone who's only ever watched them. Okay, so music. I referenced Frightened Rabbit a little bit in here. During Logan's vows, he said "Don't listen to Frightened Rabbit when they say my promise is flawed," and that's an allusion to their song "Acts of Man" and the specific line I'm talking about is "Let's promise every girl we marry we'll always love them when we probably won't." They're Scottish and pretty damn good, check them out. The Jack's Mannequin song isn't named, but I imagine it being the Music Box version of "Swim", so if you want to, listen to it. Panic! at the Disco's song "The Calendar" inspired the title, of course. I'm running out of lines to steal from that song. Anything by The All-American Rejects is worth listening to in my opinion and "Baby It's Fact" just makes me want to melt because of how much it reminds me of summertime. Same with "That Green Gentleman" because I learned that song while on vacation in Islington. I was sitting by myself at this outside art exhibit thing by the canal and it just washed away any cares I previously had that day. If you wanna dance, listen to "Young Volcanoes". You don't have to like Fall Out Boy to love this song.

Again, if you want two more chapters, please let me know! and I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. It was fun to write.

Yours sincerely,

(insert name here)

**List of Music references in order:**

"That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)" by Panic! at the Disco  
"The End of All Things" by Panic! at the Disco  
"Acts of Man" by Frightened Rabbit  
"You and Me" by Dave Matthews Band  
"I For You" by The All American Rejects  
"The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson  
"Baby It's Fact" by Hellogoodbye  
"Swim (Music Box)" by Jack's Mannequin, and  
"Young Volcanoes" by Fall Out Boy


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